


Devolution

by IceonFire7



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-25 13:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 39,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2623658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceonFire7/pseuds/IceonFire7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website. Cross posting on FF.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Devolution

**Author's Note:**

> OK, so I know I should be working on At Times I Almost Dream, and I am, I promise. But this one was kind of eating at me to get written, so I had to stop ignoring it and just do it. This is from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe site. Basically, it's a reworking of the series with Bass and Miles meeting up with Ben and the kids several years after the Blackout. But this is a very different Bass who did not lose Shelly and did not start a militia.
> 
> Flashbacks are in italics.
> 
> I own nothing from Revolution (obviously).

**Devolution** \- The granting of powers from the central government to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. It is a form of decentralization. Devolved territories have the power to make legislation relevant to the area.

 

_You say you want a revolution_

_Well, you know_

_We all want to change the world_

_You tell me that it's evolution_

_Well, you know_

_We all want to change the world -_ _**Revolution - The Beatles** _

 

 

_**Six Years after the Blackout** _

The bright summer sun was just setting for the evening when two men walked into Sylvania Estates. One was tall and dark, the other just slightly shorter and blond, dingy duffel bags slung over their shoulders. They'd been on the road for years, in search of one thing. They were tired and weary and had seen and done much in the years since the Blackout had ended life as most humans knew it.

Being early July, the gates to the village were not yet closed for the night; there was at least another hour of daylight left. It did not mean there was no one keeping an eye out for strangers at the entryway to their small neighborhood.

"Hey," Caleb Parker said. He was an old man even by pre-Blackout standards, the loss of electricity making him gruff and ornery. But he protected his own. "Who are you?"

The dark man squinted, his sharp eyes boring into Caleb. "I'm looking for Ben Matheson."

"What for?"

A smirk graced the dark man's face. "Not that it's any of your business, but he's my brother."

Before Caleb could even answer, Ben himself jogged over to the gate. "Miles?"

Miles Matheson scoffed. "Well, you are one hard ass man to find."

Ben chuckled, stepping forward to embrace his brother. It was then he noticed the man to his left. "Bass?"

"Hey, Ben."

Ben reached out and clasped Bass's hand, pumping it with fervor, patting the blond man on the back. "You guys both walked here from South Carolina."

"Yeah," Miles said, his tone sarcastic. "Only took us six years too."

Bass rolled his eyes. "We've been trying to find you this entire time. We've been to Chicago three times, to Indianapolis, Des Moines. We couldn't seem to track down your location."

"Well, after everything...it seemed hiding out in the more secluded areas was the best thing for Charlie and Danny," Ben explained. "Come on to the house. Come see the kids."

"How are they?" Miles asked.

"Good, they're good. Adjusting to life in one place, after all the years of moving around." Ben led them to a comfortable two story house with beige siding and a bright red door. A chicken coop stood out in the driveway. Crops scattered around the rest of the village.

"And Rachel?" Miles asked, his tone giving away more than words ever could.

Ben turned to him, sadness deep in his eyes. Miles swallowed, saliva thicker than he ever remembered it. Whatever his brother was going to say was going to gut him. "She disappeared...a little over a year ago."

"Disappeared..." He could barely form the words.

Bass jumped in. "What happened, Ben?"

"We'd just moved here...only been here a month or so. She went into the local town for some supplies. She never came back." Ben glanced down. "No one in town could tell me anything. If they'd seen her. If she'd even made it to town. She was just gone."

"Why didn't you go with her?" Miles reached for Ben.

"Hey," Bass said, laying a hand on Miles's outstretched arm.

"We couldn't leave the kids alone. No one had really moved this far out of town at the time. She decided it would be best if she went and I stayed with Charlie and Danny." The very idea that he'd left his wife to fend for herself seemed to kill Ben.

"It makes sense, Miles," Bass said, ever the voice of reason. "Knowing Rachel, she probably figured Ben could protect them more than she could."

Before anything else could be said, a lanky girl with long blonde hair bounded out the front door, a little tow-headed boy trailing behind her, his hand tucked in hers. She stopped when she saw the two men in front of her father.

"Charlie, this is-"

"Uncle Miles?" Her voice was unusually quiet, an air of reverence in her words. As if her beloved uncle had been nothing more than a dream that suddenly turned to flesh and blood.

Miles cocked his head. "You remember me, kid?"

Her eyes lit up and the vibrant blue of them struck both Miles and Bass. She barreled into her uncle, wrapping her arms firmly around his waist. "Of course I remember you. You're here."

He glanced down at her upturned face, the smile so bright it nearly blinded him. Wrapping his own arms around her, he patted her back a bit awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm here. Better late than never."

She caught sight of the man at his side, her eyes widening. "Oh, Charlie, this is my friend-"

"Bass?" Her voice was timid, shy even.

"Hi, Charlie." He knelt down to be at her level. Having younger sisters had prepared him to deal with children far better than Miles. "I'm surprised you remember me."

"I remember you." The adoration on her face was obvious as she launched herself into his arms. "You brought me Jimmy the bear."

He held her tightly, his mind racing back to his younger sisters. They'd be grown women by now, but in his mind they would remain little, forever frozen in time. "You still have that old thing."

"She carried him all the way from Chicago," Ben said. "Never managed to lose him, no matter where we stopped or ended up."

She pulled back, her eyes meeting Bass's. "He's upstairs. You can see him."

He smiled at her, and she responded in kind. "I'd like that."

"Danny is a little shyer, I'm afraid." Ben curled an arm around Danny's shoulder. "Charlie is my adventurer. Nothing ever stops her or slows her down."

Bass and Miles exchanged at look. She was just like her uncle in that regard.

"Go inside, guys. Pull some of that food out for Miles and Bass." Ben pointed at his children, and they scurried into the house, Charlie especially happy for the exciting new turn of events.

"Are you planning to stay?" Ben asked.

Miles glanced at Bass, who gave a slight nod. "Oh, hell, yeah. It took six years to find you, Ben. We're not just walking away now."

"There's not much left out there," Bass said, tone morose. "Family is all there really is."

Ben reached out a hand and rested it on Bass's shoulder. "Well, you're a welcome part of ours, Sebastian."

Bass just nodded, unsure if he could find his voice. He had always been welcome with the Mathesons.

"Have you heard?" Bass asked. He and Miles picked up their bags, carrying them into the house. "There's talk of another militia forming way in the east. Philadelphia supposedly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, they come and go," Miles said, closing the candy apple red door behind him.

 

 

_**Fifteen Years after the Blackout** _

Charlie laughed as Miles and Bass goofed off, play wrestling with one another in the leaves blanketing the forest floor. Her heart swelled with love for both of them; these two men, who had become more important to her than any other, save her father and Danny. She loved these trips they took, when they ventured far into the forest for an overnight hunting trip. It made her feel like she was on a mission with them, the kind of adventure they both told her stories about. The trips were always just the three of them, as her father still showed little aptitude for hunting, even after all these years. And Danny was far too sickly to be away from Maggie and her medicines overnight.

So it was just the three of them. Charlie, Bass, and Miles; the Three Musketeers as Bass called them. She'd read the book; Aaron had given it as an assignment during one of his classes. She secretly loved the idea of being considered one of their fellow soldiers. There were times they traveled into dangerous areas, but Charlie felt nothing but warmth and safety around the two of them. Her uncle and his best friend had been Marines, and without really knowing what that meant, she knew they could both best other men blindfolded.

"Guys, you're gonna miss the roasted duck," she called out, chuckling as both men stood and shoved the other away, pushing each other as they made their way back to the fire. They'd been lucky today. Their haul included several ducks, a few rabbits, and a rather large buck; the village would have meat for the foreseeable future.

"Aw, this smells amazing, Charlie," Bass said, scooping up his plate and plopping on the ground right beside her. "You make the best duck."

He smiled at her, that beaming smile of his, and her heart caught in her throat. Lately, whenever she was around Bass, breathing became an issue. But she played it cool. "Of course I do. Do you think I can rely on you guys to feed me when we're out here?"

"Oh, well, now...someone's getting cocky," Miles said, pulling the duck off the spit over the fire. "But I seem to recall you dropping your elbow earlier when you were sparring with Bass. You don't practice, you don't get to have the best part of the roasted duck."

She rolled her eyes as Miles pulled the bird apart, handing a hunk to Bass and keeping one for himself. When she glared at him, he set a piece on her plate; she noticed it was the breast meat, her favorite part. He always threatened to give her the worst portion or none at all, yet she always wound up with the best cut of meat in front of her, without fail. Neither man ever questioned it, and she loved them all the more for it. For the first twelve years of her life, it had always felt like Danny was put first. But with Bass and Miles, it was evident she was their top priority.

Not that both men didn't love Danny; she knew they'd both fight to the death to protect either her or her brother. But for the first time ever, she was someone's favorite.

"Seriously though, Charlie," Miles said. "You can't drop the elbow. Someone as skilled at fighting as Bass could swoop right in...bang, you're dead."

They'd been training her for years, wanting her to be adept enough to defend herself if neither one was around. "I didn't know there was anyone as skilled at fighting as Bass...other than you."

Bass laughed out loud at that, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss the palm of it, resting it on her knee before digging back into his food. "I love you too, Charlie."

He had no idea just how insane he was driving her. She'd never lied to herself. Her crush on Bass dated back to before the Blackout, when he and Miles had visited Chicago and he'd brought her that stuffed bear she still loved the hell out of. Nine years ago, when he'd shown up in Sylvania Estates with Miles, she felt that nothing short of a miracle had delivered him back into her life. Both men back into her life. But with Miles, she'd inherited a second father. With Bass...

There had never been anything inappropriate between them. She didn't doubt for one second that Bass would kill himself before ever harming her in any way. But over the years, he had become her closest confidante, her dearest friend; she told him things she wouldn't even tell Miles, never once afraid that he would spill her secrets. He knew her better than anyone else. The only thing he didn't know was how she felt about him.

She knew that he probably still considered her nothing more than Ben's daughter, Miles's niece. But her feelings had grown from that of a small crush to a full-fledged aching love.

He hadn't really dated any of the women in the village, but he and Miles did disappear every once in awhile, on a trip she wasn't allowed to accompany them on. She cried the first time they left her behind, but Bass had made up for it a few days later by bringing her a crystal amulet that she wore around her neck to this very day. When she got older and realized they were going into the local town, to the whorehouse, she wept the entire time they were away, lamenting the fact that Bass was spending his nights with some other woman.

So she suffered in silence with the love she felt for him, just happy to be a part of his inner circle, her and Miles. He didn't hide things from her, and he always treated her like an adult.

"So, we did pretty good this trip," Miles said, his voice already growing sleepy, sated from the long day's hunt and a solid meal. "Should keep us for awhile."

"No doubt." Bass stretched his long limbs, sliding down a little towards the ground. His bedroll was placed to the right of hers, close, but nowhere near close enough for her. Miles was on her left; she always slept in the middle between them, her security guards bookending her on either side.

She felt her own eyes getting heavy, all the thoughts swirling around in her head making her drowsy. "Head home tomorrow?"

"At first light. Get some sleep," Miles said, voice drifting away. She heard Bass's comforting snore a few feet behind her and settled deeper into her covers. Both men slept hard and yet could wake in the blink of an eye if need be. She'd seen it.

Even with all the thoughts of Bass niggling at her brain, Charlie drifted off to sleep, contented. He might not love her the way she wanted, but he was always there for her, no matter what. She could live with that.

For now.

 

 

The walk back was better than the one out. The weather was far more pleasant, the sun shining brightly through the canopy of trees; spring weather could always be so fickle. She walked, chatting with both Bass and Miles, the three laughing and joking and finishing each other's sentences. She was right where she belonged.

As they crossed through the dilapidated amusement park that always indicated to her home was near, she glanced over at the brick wall beneath the collapsed fencing. She hid something precious there; something no one in the world knew anything about, other than Bass. Feeling his eyes upon her, her gaze connected with his and they shared a secret smile.

As much as she loved their trips, she was glad to be getting home this time. She and her father hadn't parted on the greatest of terms and she had to make things right with him. Bass and Miles had made her see that staying angry at Ben was foolish in such an unstable world. When they reached the house, she was going to sit her dad down and apologize to him.

The first indication that something was wrong was the loud commotion coming from the direction of Sylvania Estates. She exchanged a look with both men, their eyes confirming that they sensed it too. Almost in awe, she watched as a mask slid down over their faces, transforming them into the Marines they used to be. Both whipped out their pistols, signaling her to ready her crossbow.

Following closely behind them, in the sweeping pattern they'd trained her in, she fell into sync with her partners, her body becoming an extension of theirs. She still wasn't as good at it as they were, but Bass and Miles understood that and adjusted their moves to accommodate her. A wave of nausea hit her as the smell of smoke wafted from the village. It wasn't normal smoke created by fire. It was the sort of smoke she'd only smelled when Caleb shot off his rifle...or Bass or Miles shot their guns. From the way they picked up the pace, she suspected they'd come to the same conclusion.

They rounded the corner of the village gate, all three stopping as they took in the scene. A haze of smoke hung over the crops and several of the villagers were lying on the ground. It was then she saw her father, Maggie crouched over him, pressing her hands to his chest.

"Dad!" She shot forward, speeding to her father's side.

"Charlie!" Bass shouted, rushing after her.

She knew Bass was upset that she broke formation, but her father was bleeding out. She heard Miles shout his brother's name, but all else faded as she fell to the ground beside Ben's prone body. "Dad...Dad..."

Bass knelt beside her, as Miles dropped to his knees beside his brother. "Ben!"

Charlie looked at Maggie, her eyes pleading for an explanation. "What happened?"

Ben appeared to be struggling, to grab her shirt, to speak, she wasn't sure. But his hand twisted into the lapel of her jacket, pulling her closer. "Danny's gone..."

"Danny's gone?"

"What?" Bass choked, his voice hoarse.

All looked to Maggie for an explanation. "Militia...militia took him."

"Son of a bitch!" Bass stood up, backing away from Ben. "Bastards! Did they just leave?"

"It was maybe an hour ago," Aaron replied, standing off to the side, watching the events unfold in front of him. "They've got a significant lead."

"Okay, well, what do we do? What do you want us to do?" Charlie asked. Her father had been lying here dying, waiting for her for an hour. Tears filled her eyes at the thought.

Ben rolled his head in the direction of his brother. "Miles...you have to get Danny. You have to find Danny."

"Ben, don't talk, damn it," Miles said, his voice shaky, hands stained red with his brother's blood. "We'll get Danny back."

"But...you're gonna come with us, right?" She glanced from her father up to Miles. "He's gonna come with us."

She barely registered Bass crouching by her side again, but she turned to him in enough time to see him exchange a defeated look with Miles. Bass never looked defeated. She cried out at the knowledge that her two closest companions were already preparing for Ben's death. This couldn't be happening; she hadn't even reconciled with her father properly. Her eyes met Bass's, the blues in each of them swirling together, and she knew he knew her exact thoughts.

 

_Maggie mixed together a nasty green tea and handed it to Danny, who balked about it, but drank it anyway. She waited at the kitchen table for Ben to scold her for allowing her little brother to fall into a dangerous situation. Miles and Bass stood at the kitchen counter, drinking the swill that Aaron called moonshine. At least someone in the room was on her side._

_Ben stepped in front of her. "You were supposed to watch out for him."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"You know that road's not safe. Neither Miles or Bass was with you."_

_"I know. I'm sorry...really." She sat up straighter, casting her eyes to the side, making eye contact with Bass. "It's just...nothing is safe. Everything is off limits."_

_"I'm just trying to look out for you," Ben said, his voice growing hard._

_"I don't need you to. Dad, if it was up to you, you wouldn't even let us leave our street." She glanced at Miles and Bass. "They are training me, Dad, how to fight. If I never go anywhere, what will I ever need it for?"_

_Ben sighed. "Fine, all right, go wander off into the wild blue. Go by yourself, don't take Miles or Bass. Get your throat slit by bandits or get yourself lynched by militia. Does any of that sound good to you?"_

_"Ben," Miles interjected, shrugging at his brother's harshness._

_"It's not all like that," Charlie insisted._

_"I don't know it can get pretty rough out there," Maggie supplied._

_Charlie rolled her eyes. "There's other towns like ours, right? What if...what if I asked Miles and Bass to come with me? Then I wouldn't be alone. Maybe we could find some other people."_

_Ben pulled a chair out and sat at the table across from her. "Charlie, trust me, there is nothing worth seeing...not anymore."_

_"Look, I was your age once, I get it, but he's right-"_

_Charlie cut Maggie off. "Excuse me, is she a part of this family now?"_

_"Hey," Ben shouted._

_"She hops into bed with you and suddenly that makes her mom?"_

_"Charlie," Bass's voice cut clear through to her, reprimanding her for her insolence. He could get to her better than anyone else; she immediately regretted her words._

_"No, Charlie, your mom is gone. She died, out there," Ben's voice was rising with his anger. "You want to wind up just like her?"_

_"Ben," Charlie could hear the distress and distaste seething through Miles._

_Her father had gone too far and he knew it. "Charlie..."_

_She stood up wordlessly and filed out of the room, her eyes catching Bass's baby blues yet again. Stalking out of the house, she knew he would follow her in a matter of minutes._

_When he found her, she was sitting on the seat of the Ferris wheel, leafing through the postcards she kept as souvenirs in a Return Of The Jedi lunchbox. Bass and Miles had assured her it was a fantastic movie. It was her secret stash. The one that only Bass knew about._

_The car dipped as his weight settled into the seat beside her, swaying and bobbing back and forth. They sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke. "You know I would never call you out in front of your dad and Maggie. I've always got your back."_

_"I know."_

_"But they are right, Charlie. You have no idea what your uncle and I saw out there while we were searching for you," Bass explained._

_"But there's got to be other people like us," she protested._

_"Not enough." He sighed, his eyes trained on her. "They're hard to find. They keep a low profile, the way we do. No one wants to attract the militia to themselves, Charlie."_

_She stared at the postcard in her hand, the sturdy looking curved walls surrounding a place where the Chicago Cubs used to play baseball. "It's not fair."_

_"No, it's not." He leaned in, studying the postcard with her. With him so near, it was hard for her to concentrate. "You're a lot like me, Charlie. And your uncle. Always running off, looking for excitement and adventure."_

_"I am?"_

_Bass nodded. "I was a pretty smart student. I could have gone to college if I'd wanted to. But your uncle showed up at my house one day, saying he was enlisting in the Marines. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the world. I thought about sitting in a class all day or being out there. I chose the world."_

_"See, that's all I want."_

_"But things were so different then, Charlie." He closed his eyes, shaking his head as if to clear it. "It's just not that way anymore."_

_She pointed to the ball park on the postcard. "Do you think this is still standing?"_

_He shrugged. "I don't know. Half those places are gone now. But one likes to think that both Wrigley Field and Comiskie Park are still in existence."_

_"I didn't mean to get Danny hurt."_

_"I know that, Charlie. Everyone knows that." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to his side. Her heart was thudding so loudly she couldn't believe he didn't hear it. "But maybe just give your dad a break. He is trying."_

_"I know..."_

_"And Maggie, Charlie she's...a good woman. And she's been through a lot."_

_Charlie sighed. "I know that. It's just...she's not..."_

_"Your mom." She lowered her head, nodding slightly. "Charlie, she's not trying to be your mom. She's not trying to take her place. No one will ever replace Rachel for you or your father. Maggie's just looking out for you."_

_"I still miss her." She swallowed back the tears that were threatening. She glanced up at him, her eyes shimmering. He'd been through it once too. Lost his entire family. "Does it ever get easier?"_

_He didn't look away from her, didn't lose her gaze, even though she knew it was still hard for him to talk about. He cleared his throat. "I don't think easier is the best word. It gets...livable. You can live with it. The people we lose, we never stop loving. We never stop missing. But at some point, we can think of them in happiness. Because we know they are at peace."_

_A small smile broke through as she stared at him, the tears in his eyes making her love him all the more. He was such a good man, who loved those he considered his family fiercely. "Thank you, Bass."_

_He pulled her towards him a little further, kissing her forehead and nuzzling his nose into the top of her head. "Anytime, Charlie. Anytime."_

_She closed her eyes and soaked in his scent, his warmth. "So I guess I have to apologize."_

_"Yeah, you do." He chuckled and pulled away. "Hey, how about you, me_ _,_ _and Miles go on a hunting trip tomorrow?"_

_"Really?"_

_"Well, the village could use the meat. And we could probably do a little better if we go a little further out." He stood, reaching out a hand to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her out of the car. "Besides, maybe we all need a break, huh?"_

_"I'd like that."_

_"Okay, I'll square it with Miles. We'll leave in the morning." He followed her over to the brick wall she hid her lunchbox in. "But you go home and make it up to your dad."_

_"Yeah, yeah...I got it."_

 

But she hadn't really done it. It had already been late by the time she and Bass got back and her father and Maggie were retiring for the night. She issued him a perfunctory apology, Bass filling him in on the plans to go hunting the next day. Then she'd gone off to her room, awakening before dawn to leave with Bass and Miles. She hadn't even seen her father since. Now here he was. Dying in her arms.

"Charlie..." Ben choked out, clinging tighter to his daughter. She ripped her eyes away from Bass to refocus on her father. "You're strong. You're so strong...you're like your mom. You can do this."

She nodded, tears falling down her face. "Okay..."

"Miles." Ben's eyes rolled to his brother. "Take care of her."

"I will. Of course, I will."

Ben shifted his gaze to Bass. "Both of you. Protect her."

"With my life," Bass said, his hand on Ben's shoulder.

Charlie wailed when her father's eyes lost focus, his head growing heavy in her hands. She let his head gently rest on the ground, then swayed forward, collapsing into Bass's waiting arms. He held her tightly as she wept for her father. Still in his arms, she turned her head and caught Miles's gaze. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen him look so sad. Yet his eyes were determined, silently telling her they would retrieve her brother and avenge her father's death. She nodded at him, ready to do whatever it took to save Danny.

 

 

An hour later, she was packing the last of her gear, taking only the things she needed, as per Miles's orders. Scanning her room, her eyes fell on Jimmy, the little bear Bass had presented her with a lifetime ago. A stuffed animal certainly wasn't a necessary item, but she wanted him with her, as much as she wanted the man who had gifted it to her. Without another thought, she grabbed the bear and jammed him into her backpack.

Along with a few pictures of her parents she found scattered around the house, Jimmy was the only frivolity she was taking. She slid the photos into her lunchbox. Bass had walked off soon after Ben expired, returning 15 minutes later, his eyes red, her secret stash in his hands. He'd gone and retrieved it for her, and she fell into his arms as another bout of tears overcame her. Then he'd sent her off to pack for their journey.

"Come on, kiddo," Miles said, leaning against the side of her bedroom door, his bag slung over his shoulder. "Time to get going."

She nodded, following him down the stairs where Bass and Maggie were gathering supplies from the kitchen. She took one look at Maggie's gear and shook her head. "No. Maggie, you can't come. They need you here in the village."

Maggie and Bass exchanged a look. "James can take over as town doctor."

Charlie chuckled, but it was humorless. "You don't seem to understand. I don't want you to come."

"And I don't think you understand. I'm not doing this for you." Maggie's tone was serious, her eyes unwavering.

"Alright, enough," Miles said. "Charlie, she's coming. Having someone medically trained out on the road is never a bad thing. Everyone in this room loved Ben and cares about getting Danny back. End of discussion."

Charlie's blue eyes met Bass's, and he gave her a small nod, telling her without words that he agreed with Miles's decision. Danny might be her brother, but these men were what remained of her family. They were older, stronger, and smarter about what they'd find out there. This was not her mission alone; she was merely a part of it.

Within ten minutes, the four of them set off. At the gates, they found Aaron standing there, full pack on his back.

"What the hell is this?" Miles asked. "You're not coming."

"Ben was my friend. I'm going too," Aaron insisted, falling into step beside Charlie.

"Aaron...not such a good idea," Charlie said, never breaking her stride.

"Come on, man," Bass said, shaking his head. "You're afraid of bees."

"I'm not afraid of bees. I am allergic to bees," Aaron said, still keeping pace with them. "There is a big difference."

"You're not coming," Miles repeated, not slowing down even a little.

"You know I'll just follow you anyway, driving you all crazy since you're all awesome trackers and you'll know I'm there the whole time." At that the little party stopped, all turning to look at the portly man. Aaron was not backing down. "Well, it's the truth."

Miles and Bass held one of those conversations Charlie liked to call Eye Meetings; they never spoke a word, but entire decisions were made, big decisions. She'd perfected the same thing with Bass. And Miles, to a certain extent.

Miles sighed, exasperation obvious, though he conceded anyway. "Alright, but you better keep up. You drag us down, you have to find your own way back to Sylvania Estates. Got it?"

Aaron mock saluted him. "Yes, Sir."

Miles rolled his eyes and turned back to the road. Bass clapped Aaron on the back. "Welcome aboard, Stay-Puft."


	2. Take Me To The Pilot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for the reviews, kudos, and follows for the first chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying this, cause it's really getting fun to do. And I still have not forgotten I owe you another chapter of At Times I Almost Dream :)
> 
> There is some dialogue taken from the Pilot episode of Revolution. And, while I did include parts of the big fight scene in here, I still stick with most of the other fanfic writers who say that writing fight scenes suck. Cause they do. Hopefully, I was able to do it a teeny bit of justice.
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution. I still want David Lyons, yadda, yadda, yadda... Although, for this chapter I want to give a nod to Billy Burke, who I was fortunate enough to see in Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. He was awesome, performance was amazing, musical was outstanding, and it gave me a nice burst of inspiration. So thanks.

Take me to the pilot for control

Take me to the pilot of your soul - _Take Me To The Pilot - Elton John_

 

They walked for hours, until the sun dipped below the horizon. When it became obvious that they needed to stop, Bass ran on ahead, scouting for a good place to set up camp for the night. He was back within 20 minutes, much to Charlie's relief. Her heart had been in her throat the entire time he'd been out of her sight.

After dinner, sitting around the fire, Aaron moaned for what was probably the tenth time.

Miles had finally had enough. "What?"

"You know a walk like this, I counted on sore. But not on...you know, the chaffing issues." He shifted again.

Maggie chuckled, while Charlie caught Bass's eye, smiling at each other over their friend's dismay. She glanced at Miles, who met her gaze head on, the mirth obvious in his eyes as well. But looking at him she realized none of them should be happy. They'd buried her father earlier that day.

Miles seemed to sense the sudden change in her. "We're going to find him. We're going to get him back."

"How?" she asked. A somber feeling blanketed the entire group. "The militia got him, Miles. How can we compete against that?"

Bass and Miles locked eyes; she saw the exchange, but didn't fully understand it. They'd been soldiers, that much was true, they'd taught her to fight, how to carry a sword, a gun. But how could two men stand against an entire army? It was impossible.

"Your uncle and I are very good at killing, Charlie," Bass drawled, his deep voice lower than usual.

She stared at the man she loved. True, he had never lied to her, never hidden anything from her...or had he? And was hiding it really the right word? He'd told her it was rough out there, he and Miles both had, but he'd never told her about what the two of them had done between the Blackout and their arrival at the village. Was omission the same thing as lying? Or was it, like everything else with her uncle and Bass, done to protect her?

Aaron cleared his throat. "Well, that's comforting..."

"Get some sleep," Miles said. For the first time ever, he wasn't on her left side. Bass was still to her right, but Miles had shifted to allow Maggie to sleep beside her, between the safety of him and Bass. She couldn't really begrudge Maggie that. Aaron slept on the other side of Miles, but traveling for a woman was a little different than for a man.

Early the next morning, Charlie made her way to the nearby stream to fill the canteens for the gang. Bass had offered to go with her, but she'd promised she'd be careful and walked off on her own. She really just needed a break. Since her father's death, she hadn't had much time alone, and she was desperate for a little space.

Rounding the corner of a stone wall, she saw a man re-threading his bow, testing the tightness with his fingers. She pushed her back to the wall, glancing out at him from her hiding spot.

"You know, most people just say good morning," he said, turning to look at her. He was young and handsome, with dark hair and eyes.

"I, uh...good morning."

"Morning," he responded, a smirk firmly in place. "I'm Nate."

She stepped out from her spot, walking towards him cautiously. Bass and Miles would throttle her if they saw her right now. But he seemed so polite and harmless. "Charlie."

"Where you headed, Charlie?"

"None of your business, Nate." Okay, she wasn't that stupid.

He laughed, the smirk transforming into a smile. A very pleasant, attractive smile. "That's true."

"I'm going to get some water." She lifted her canteens, then headed towards the stream. She cast one backward glance at Nate, his eyes still following her.

Ten minutes later, she was back at the campsite. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell both Bass and Miles about her meeting with Nate. But for some reason, she kept it to herself, handing out canteens to her friends.

 

 

They walked for another full day, until the sun began to set once again. Charlie and Bass chatted as they came through a clearing in the woods. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was before them.

"Bass..." she trailed off, her eyes wide.

He smiled at her. "They're pretty amazing, huh?"

Her eyes connected with his, and he found himself swimming in her big baby blues. He could see the excitement in her eyes, the exuberance, and her joy filled his heart.

"They're overwhelming."

An entire fleet of planes sat in various places on the runway they encountered. Miles and the others stepped up behind them. "Wow, we made good time. Didn't expect to make it to O'Hare today."

"Two days," Bass said, doing the math in his head. "Milwaukee to Chicago. That's not bad."

"Pretty good, actually," Miles agreed.

They crossed the runway to the plane, Aaron leading the way. Bass chuckled to himself; Stay-Puft was almost as excited as Charlie.

"Uh, maybe we should camp somewhere else," Maggie said, glancing around at the rather open area.

"No, come on. They usually hide a doctor's kit up front." Aaron peered into the smashed back cargo door. "Good meds."

"How do you know?" Charlie asked.

"I, uh...owned one. A plane," he responded, stepping over the luggage scattered across the ground.

"Seriously?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

So did Bass. "You been holding out on us, Aaron?"

"A little..."

"Dick," Miles said, shaking his head.

"I, uh, worked at Google."

Charlie looked at Bass. "That was a computer thing, right?"

He nodded. "You really have been holding out."

"Yeah, well, we all have secrets, don't we?" Aaron motioned to Bass and Miles. "You two are killing machines. I didn't know that. For the past nine years, you've just been the hunter/gatherers for our village. Which I guess also includes killing, so my bad."

Bass rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How much did you lose?"

Aaron moved several pieces of luggage together to form steps. "80 million."

"Jesus," Miles said as Bass whistled.

"And I would trade it all right now for a roll of Charmin." Aaron hauled himself up into the plane.

Miles followed, reaching out a hand to steady Maggie as she gingerly moved up the makeshift steps. Bass helped Charlie up, his hands on her hips to keep her balanced. After Miles guided her into the plane, he turned back to Bass, throwing one arm up and blocking the entrance. His dark eyes dug into Bass.

"What?"

"You're Mr. Stick-To-Charlie-Like-Glue lately, aren't ya?" Miles asked, eyebrow cocked.

Bass shook his head. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, you've just been right there at her side. More than usual, I mean."

Okay, did he seriously have to explain this to Miles of all people? "She's part of my family, who just lost her father. Her little brother is missing. She got tossed into something unexpected. Plus, she's adventuresome, out here on her first adventure. She doesn't exactly know what to expect, and despite every warning we've ever given her, she's tender-hearted and trusts people too easily. I'm just keeping her safe."

Miles raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, all right. You two have always been close. Just saying, you seem even closer now."

Bass patted Miles on the cheek. "Don't worry. She loves you too."

Miles chuckled. "Yeah...but you know, Bass. Charlie has fabulous balance. Probably didn't need any help getting up the steps."

With that, he bumped Bass's shoulder pushing past him into the plane. It was all good-natured ribbing, something he and Miles engaged in all the time, but his best friend's words hung heavy over his head. Charlie was on his mind all the time. He couldn't even place the blame on Ben's death; it had been going on for the last couple of years. More than anything else in the world, he just loved being around her. Talking to her, joking with her, spending time with her. But the idea of voicing the thoughts racing around his head scared him. He suspected he knew what was happening, but he couldn't admit it, even to himself.

He entered the plane, his eyes searching for and immediately finding her. She was arranging her pack on a seat. "So...do you mind if we share a row?"

She looked at him, amused. The idea of sleeping on a plane must have been so new and exciting to her. "Well...I suppose that's okay."

"Alright," Miles said. "Everyone search around for things that might be of use. And let me know as soon as you find the booze."

"The booze?" Charlie frowned.

"Planes always had alcohol on them, Charlie," Bass explained.

Miles tilted his head and grinned at her. "It was one of the best parts of flying."

An hour passed as all five of them diligently searched the plane. In the end, they found a first aid kit, some blankets and pillows, some coffee that still smelled halfway decent, packets of honey, and the booze cart. Miles was thrilled.

As nightfall approached, Miles pulled Bass to the side. "We should probably do a quick sweep of the area. Cover the entire perimeter. Make sure we're safe here."

Bass nodded. "Yeah, good idea. Though I hate the idea of leaving them all here alone."

"Well, it'll go faster if the two of us do it. It's a big area." He glanced over at Maggie and Charlie, settling in the seats. "I think if they just stay quiet in here, they'll be alright until we get back. We're not going to be that far away."

"Okay, but let's get this done and get back." His eyes fell on Charlie. "We shouldn't be away from them for too long."

Miles patted him on the shoulder before turning to the others. "Hey, guys, listen up. Bass and I are gonna go walk the perimeter, make sure everything is as it should be. Charlie, you've got your crossbow if you should need it. So just stay here and stay quiet. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"And if anything goes wrong, if you need us, just start screaming." Bass locked eyes with Charlie. "We'll come running."

She nodded at him, Aaron and Maggie also agreeing.

They exited the plane, Bass jumping down from the wing, Miles right behind. They scanned the area, then looked at each other. "I'll take right, you take left?"

It was their modus operandi. They always took the same sides; though Miles never knew why Bass favored his right side. Only Charlie did. She was the only one on the planet who knew he had a blind spot.

"Hurry back, brother," Miles said, creeping off to the left of the airfield.

Bass wanted to get this over with, get back to his family, to Charlie. He hated leaving her alone out here in the big bad world she so desperately wanted to see, even if it was only for a short time. Other than Miles, he trusted no one out here with her safety. His mind continued to roll out thoughts of her as he made his way along the chain link fence.

 

 

After Miles and Bass left, the others settled into their seats. The long days of walking wiped everyone out and all three fell asleep almost as soon as they got off their feet.

Twenty minutes later, Charlie felt a finger brush along her forehead, rousing her from slumber. At first, she leaned into the hand, nuzzling it. "Bass..."

She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a strange man. "Wakey, wakey..."

Charlie jerked away out of instinct, but the hand still caught her across the face, hitting her in the nose, knocking her head back. She squirmed away, squeezing as far into the corner of the seats as she could. Bass, where were Bass and Miles? She heard Maggie shout her name and could see the blonde being held at knifepoint from the corner of her eye. She tried to keep calm. They would come...Bass and Miles would come for her.

"You know, you folks should be more careful." He pointed a large knife at Charlie. "I hear there's all sorts of bad men out there on the road."

"Look, man, just take whatever you want and go," Aaron pleaded.

"Are you giving me orders?" the man asked.

"Hey," Maggie said. "Take it easy. Look...side pocket."

The man unzipped her backpack and pulled out a bottle of liquor, showing it to his friends. "Oh, ho, ho...you like to have a good time."

Charlie eyed him...they would come...they were coming...

"That's lucky," the man said, tossing the booze to the guy holding Maggie, who swished it around before taking a generous gulp. "Cause we like to have a good time too."

He yanked Charlie up and out of the chair, Maggie and Aaron shouting to let her go. All the training Bass and Miles had put her through and here she was scared out of her mind and too afraid to make a move. They would both be so disappointed in her...but they would come.

The man took Charlie to the front of the plane, shoving her against the wall as he slid his body against her. She struggled to hold him off, yelping and screaming at the top of her lungs. She heard one of the other men cough and question Maggie about the whiskey. And she realized, they still weren't there...Bass and Miles weren't there...and this is exactly what they had trained her for...to take care of herself when they weren't there.

A calm settled over her. She knew what she had to do.

Instead of struggling, she thrust the palm of her hand directly under his nose, throwing the full weight of her body into the hit. His head rocked back and she heard a breaking noise. Without giving him a chance to recover, she bent her leg and kicked at the side of his knee, listening again for the satisying crack. The move took one of his legs out from under him and he collapsed, his legs spreading as he lost balance. She brought the hard tip of her boot up and connected solidly with his groin. He bent over in agony. Almost unable to believe she'd done it, she gaped down at the writhing man, a smile spreading over her face. Bass and Miles would be so proud.

She glanced up in time to see Maggie finish throttling one of the other men with the cord of an oxygen mask, while the man beside Aaron fell from his seat, whitish foam spurting out of his throat from the poison.

Two seconds later, Bass and Miles barreled onto the plane, swords drawn and at the ready. They took one look at the situation, at the men on the ground, and ran in opposite directions; Miles towards Maggie and Aaron, Bass to Charlie.

Bass grabbed her by the arms, his grip firm. "Are you okay? Charlie, did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, tipping it towards the downed man. "Bass...I did that."

"I know..." One of his hands cupped her cheek. "You did what we taught you to do. You did good, Charlie."

Still a little shaky, she snorted a humorless chuckle, then leaned forward against him, her face nuzzling into his chest. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her flush against him, holding her tightly, hands tangling in her hair as he stroked her back. A minute later, he pulled away, his eyes scanning over her, the blue more intense than she'd ever seen it. She saw the mask slip down again as his gaze turned to the man on the ground.

Before she could move, he yanked the man off the floor, pulling him up to eye level. She saw the exact moment when her former assailant realized he'd touched the wrong woman. In a split second, Bass pounded into him, fists flying so quickly they appeared blurry. He kept punching and slamming, the man getting limper as the beating continued.

"Bass...Bass!" Miles yelled. For one second, Charlie was as unaware as Bass that Miles was speaking. She shook her head when she realized she had indeed heard her uncle's voice. "Bass, man, he's done..."

Bass stopped, looking up at Miles, his eyes refocusing. "He touched her..."

"I know, man, but he's done. End it." Miles nodded and Bass responded in kind. Without wasting another minute, Bass snapped the man's neck and dropped him to the ground.

For a moment, she just stared at Bass...at the man she loved, had loved longer than she could remember. At the man she thought she knew completely. He'd just killed a man in cold blood. And he'd done it for her. The thought was appalling and yet at the same time, how could she blame him for once again making her feel safe. She'd always known he and Miles would do anything to keep her from harm, but she'd already disabled the guy. "Why did you have to kill him?"

Bass stared at her. "Charlie, he attacked you."

"Yeah, but he was down."

He looked away for a second, then turned the full intensity of those eyes back on her. "And do you think he would have stopped after this? That he wouldn't have tried going after someone else at some point?"

Her head fell forward. She had no answer for that; Bass was probably right.

"Charlie." Her attention returned to Bass. "I told you Miles and I are good at killing. You may find out...on this journey...that there are things about the both of us that you don't like very much."

She didn't think that was possible; that there was anything she could ever discover about Miles and Bass that would make her stop loving either one of them. This was all just coming as a surprise...she would learn to deal with it. "Well, I guess we'll all find out a lot more about each other."

He nodded, rubbing a hand up and down her back. The look in his eyes spoke volumes; she could see the worry in them, worry that she might not want him touching her, so she relaxed her body, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her actions seemed to relieve him as she heard him sigh then felt his nose nuzzling her hair.

"So...you keep poisoned whiskey in your bag?" Miles asked, his sharp gaze on Maggie.

"It worked, didn't it?" Maggie asked. "My biggest problem was making sure you didn't find it."

"Nice." Miles rolled his eyes and turned to Charlie. "You alright, kid?"

"Guess all your training paid off."

"Guess that's the last time Bass and I leave you alone," Miles said, his eyebrow raised. "But you did good, kiddo. You all did, really. Even you, Aaron."

"Yeah, thanks, Miles." Aaron shook his head before plopping down in his seat. "So...anyone want to find new accommodations for the night?"

 

 

The next morning, they walked into the city of Chicago. Charlie had almost no memories of it, of living there as a child. She vaguely remembered her bedroom and the living room in their old house, but she couldn't remember the neighborhood they lived in, and she would never be able to find what had been her home for the first six years of her life.

Bass walked by her side, sticking to her like glue; she couldn't really say she minded. She'd already set him killing that man out of her head. She figured things were going to change out here on the road, on this dangerous mission to rescue her brother from Neville and his militia. She would just have to find a way to deal. But she still refused to believe that they wouldn't find any good people out here either.

As they stepped through some wooded brush, a huge curved building loomed up before them, the bright red sign on the side drawing her eye. _Wrigley Field, Home Of The Chicago Cubs._

"Bass," she breathed, her hand slipping into his almost automatically. "It's still here."

"Told you it would be." He squeezed her fingers lightly. "Baseball will never die."

She smiled at him, letting him pull her along past the building. She didn't try to move away, and when he made no motion to drop her hand, she slipped her fingers between his. They walked on that way, holding hands as they approached downtown.

"So..." Aaron said. "What are we doing here in Chicago again?"

"I told you," Miles explained. "Bass and I have an associate here."

"An associate..." Aaron bit his lip. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what he is."

They made their way through the streets, the denizens of Chicago looking tougher than she'd imagined they would. Had it always been like this? Subconsciously, she stepped a little closer to Bass, suddenly understanding why he hadn't let go of her. Growing up in her little village, she was seriously unprepared for the big city. It was far better for these city dwellers to believe she belonged to a man like Bass.

As they reached the street Miles was leading them to, the town got even rougher. A group of men fighting in the street stumbled into Charlie's path, causing her to trip. If she hadn't been holding onto Bass, she would have fallen over. When he dropped her hand, she was surprised, until he pulled her against his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, his hand hanging loosely by her neck. It was a gesture of possession, and while she wanted to believe she could handle herself, she was extremely grateful for having both Bass and Miles with her.

They crossed the street and headed up a wide set of steps to a hotel. Aaron paused, looking up at the sign just barely hanging on above the entrance. "Wait, this is where your associate is?"

"Yeah, you know it?" Miles asked.

"Yeah, I know it," Aaron said. "I got married here."

"Married?" Charlie asked. This trip was all about discovery, wasn't it?

"A long time ago. I don't want to talk about it."

"Well," Miles said, clapping a hand on Aaron's back. "It's changed."

They entered the darkened lobby; with the windows all boarded up, the light of thousands of candles provided the only illumination. Catcalls echoed out at Maggie, but Bass's arm around Charlie protected her against every man in the place. Didn't stop her from snuggling even closer to him. God, she was even more sheltered than she thought.

"Stick close," Miles said to Maggie.

"I can handle myself."

"I didn't say you couldn't, Maggie," he said, hand on his sword as he led the group across the room. "But stick close anyway."

"Who are we looking for again?" Aaron asked after they'd taken a spot at the bar.

A man turned around, his eyes widening as he took in his new patrons. Miles smiled. "We're looking for him. Hello, Jeremy."

"You have got to be shitting me." A tall, blond man stared at Miles and Bass as if he was looking at two ghosts.

"Good to see you too." Bass chuckled. He'd slid in next to Charlie, the line of his body touching hers. It was safe and comforting and driving her crazy. Either he didn't notice or it wasn't affecting him the same way. She prayed it was the former.

Jeremy leaned forward, drawing the group in closer, as if trying to be discreet. "What the hell are you guys doing here? I thought you were hiding out up there in Wisconsin."

"What makes you think that?" Miles asked.

"Well, you thought you had a lead on your brother. I figured I'd see you guys in a few months, another failure under your belts. When you didn't come back after three years, I assumed you'd either found him or found somewhere else you'd rather be." Jeremy raised an eyebrow in question. "So if you didn't find him, where the hell did you go?"

"We found him," Miles said.

"Where is he?"

"Dead." Charlie winced at the nonchalant way Miles spoke of her father's death. But she knew deep down he was suffering as much as she was.

"Sorry."

"Yeah," Bass said, his eyes flicking towards Charlie. "It was a recent occurrence. The militia killed him."

Jeremy lifted a finger, signaling to them to keep quiet. Then he curled his hand and beckoned them out of the room. When they reached the large room behind the lobby, Jeremy motioned to the chairs around a sitting area. Charlie glanced over at a towering staircase to her right before settling on a couch beside Bass.

"Sorry about your brother," Jeremy said as he poured them all a few fingers of whiskey. "But we can't talk about the militia in there. Too many ears."

"Neville came for my brother...her father," Miles said, nodding towards Charlie. "And his troops took my nephew. Gotta get him back."

"Okay," Jeremy dragged the word out. "So why are you here? Stopping by to see an old friend on your way to Philly?"

"This is gonna be tough," Miles explained, motioning towards the group. "This is what we have. We could use your help."

Jeremy burst into laughter. "You always were a kidder, Miles. There's no way I'm leaving the safety and anonymity of this hotel."

"Jeremy," Bass started. "You owe us, man."

The blond pointed at him. "There's no way you're using that against me, Bass. That's not fair. The idea was to keep a low profile."

"Yeah, well, that's off the menu now," Miles said. "They took my nephew. We're getting him back."

"Neville has an entire damn army now, Miles." Jeremy stood and paced in front of the group. "I serve some of those sons of bitches in here. I hear the shit that he's pulling. Neville's gone insane."

Bass popped up. "So you're just gonna ignore it then."

Jeremy spun on him. "You were ignoring it just fine a few days ago, were you not? It takes Miles's nephew to get your ass moving. Or is it because his sister's hanging all over you and you don't want to disappoint your young piece of tail."

Bass dove at Jeremy, Miles leaping in the middle, pushing both men in opposite directions. "Bass, just calm down."

"He just insulted her."

"Yeah, I heard him. Let it go." Realizing Bass was no longer struggling, he released him. Turning back to Jeremy, Miles hauled back his fist and pounded it into the blond's face. Jeremy fell into his chair. "Don't you ever talk about my niece that way."

"I wanted to do that," Bass muttered.

"Alright, I'm sorry." Jeremy rubbed his sore jaw, his eyes falling on Charlie. "I'm sorry...sorry about your brother too. But I'm not going anywhere near Neville and his band of psychos out in Philly. And you both should know better. This kid is bait."

The silence drew out for a few minutes, until finally Charlie stood. "Let's go. We're wasting time getting to Danny."

All the others followed suit, standing and heading for the lobby, Bass shooting Jeremy a vicious glare as he passed him. Miles stared at the blond man for a minute. "Thought we were friends."

When they reached the outer room, Charlie's eyes fell on a young man standing by the entrance. She immediately recognized the man she'd met by the stream the day before. "Nate?"

Bass's head whipped towards her, his eyebrows furrowed. Then his eyes fell on the boy by the door. And the militia filing in behind him.

"They were following you the entire time? You idiots led them right here. Jesus, you guys used to be good at this." Jeremy shouted.

Bass and Miles ushered the others back towards the inner room, pushing them up against the staircase wall. Bass pulled both weapons, guarding his family as Miles leapt over the staircase rail. The troops pooled into the room, four men racing up the stairs to attack Miles, who kicked out with his foot to knock the first man down. He blocked the second one's blow, slashing out with his sword and slicing the man through the middle. A third man dove at him, but Miles threw a solid punch, spinning around to disarm a fourth attacker before whirling back and sticking a dagger into the third man.

Two men approached Bass and the others, weapons at the ready. Bass stopped the blow of his first attacker with his machete, swiping at the man with his sword, killing him instantly. He spun towards the second attacker, twisting and parrying, using his sword to end the man's life.

At the foot of the stairs, soldiers pulled guns, preparing to fire at Miles. He jumped behind a post, eyes drawn to the level above him. Seeing a man about to leap down, he swung his sword, killing the man in midair and holding his fallen body like a shield. The dead man took the bullets, Miles casting off the body before slashing out at yet another attacker.

Bass sliced through a soldier, ducking down to avoid a spray of bullets. He lunged forward, grabbing the gun and swinging the barrel toward a second attacker. The shot connected and he thrust his machete through the second man's stomach. His eyes connected with Charlie's wide and dazed stare. He nodded and she returned the gesture automatically, her mind almost unable to wrap itself around what she was seeing. Miles and Bass were destroying the entire squadron without breaking a sweat.

While his eyes remained on her, she noticed a man lifting his gun to shoot Bass in the back. He was going to get killed because of her, because of his concern for her. There was no way she could let that happen. Without thinking, she swung the crossbow forward on her shoulder, grabbing it and firing a bolt into the man's chest. Bass's head spun towards his fallen assailant, then back to Charlie, the blue in his eyes electric as he held her gaze.

Within moments, Miles and Bass dispatched the remainder of the unit, killing the rest of the men, except for the leader. The head of the militia troop stepped forward, swords drawn, and made it no further. A shot rang out and the man dropped to the ground. Jeremy stood behind him, smoking gun still in his hands.

Charlie scanned the dead men and noticed Nate was not among them. So he'd lied to her...he was part of the militia, spying on them from the moment they'd left Sylvania Estates.

"How did you know him?"

Bass's voice shook Charlie from her thoughts. "What?"

"You whispered his name before the militia attacked, Charlie." His voice and demeanor were stern, more so then he'd ever been with her. "Who the hell is Nate?"

"He...no one, I...I don't know him." She swallowed thickly, realizing her uncle's eyes were on her as well. Actually, the whole group was staring at her. She sighed and looked away. "He was at the stream when I went to go get water yesterday morning. I-I said hi."

"Did you tell him where we were going?" Bass asked.

Her response must have been too slow, for her uncle jumped in. "Damn it, Charlie, did you tell him anything?"

"No!" she cried. "Of course not. I wouldn't be that dumb. I only told him my name."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

She wasn't sure if that was disappointment or something more in Bass's voice, something like jealousy? Was that possible? Her hands dropped to her sides. What if she'd messed up everything? "I don't know. I tried to stay hidden, so he wouldn't even see me, but he knew I was there anyway. Maybe I was worried that you'd think I acted stupidly."

"You didn't tell us about it, Charlie. That's what was stupid." Miles rubbed a hand over his face. "They've been following us...all the way from home."

"Yeah," Jeremy drawled, stepping behind the bar and pouring himself a drink. "And I'd say that kid is one fine tracker, cause if he didn't alert the two of you..."

"Jeremy, shut up," Miles said.

"He's right," Bass agreed, his eyes glued to Charlie. "We weren't paying enough attention. Other things were distracting us."

She stepped up to him, reaching out for his hand, yet for the first time ever, he pulled away, refusing her touch. She couldn't even begin to express how badly that hurt; Bass never, ever turned away from her. Why hadn't she told them about Nate? What an idiot she was.

"Well, good thing for you guys that I'll be there," Jeremy said.

"You're coming?" Miles asked, his voice raspy.

"Oh yeah, cause no more militia are going to show up here, right?" He sipped his whiskey slowly, his eyes traveling between Charlie and Bass, a small grin on his face. "Besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Within the hour, they were back on the road, one man stronger, as they made their way east.


	3. Chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the reviews, favorites, follows, and kudos. You guys rock!
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution but then we all know that already.

_But the life cannot let go_

_It's a chain_ _cuts across my soul_

_Anchoring in this world_ – **Chains** – **Duran Duran**

 

 

The next morning, Charlie stood staring at Chicago off in the distance. God, she wished they'd never come here, never made this journey, never left Sylvania Estates. Most of all, she wished that Danny had never been taken.

Up until a few days ago, her life had been perfect. She'd had everything she'd ever wanted right at her fingertips and all she'd done was wish for a way out, an escape, adventure. Now she wanted nothing more than to go back to her little village. To have her father still be alive, to have Miles laugh and joke with her...to have Bass just look at her and give her that special smile.

He hadn't really spoken to her since they'd left the city, although he stayed close to her like always. But that was only for her protection, not because he wanted to be by her. They'd slept the night as always, with him beside her, but the distance just seemed huge, so much farther than the few feet covering the ground between them. Their bond, which had always been so strong, seemed fractured somehow. She prayed that it wasn't truly broken.

How foolish she'd been not to tell them about Nate. But where Miles was mildly upset with her, Bass was downright pissed. And some part of her wondered if it was more than just her not following their safety procedures. He was acting like he was...jealous. That very thought should have had her over the moon; instead, it only made her feel worse about not coming clean. She had no idea why she'd hid the truth, but her intention had never been to anger Bass.

God, she needed to fix the damage she'd caused between them.

"Charlie," Maggie laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "You alright?"

She glanced at her stepmother. "I'm fine, Maggie. Just thinking."

"He's just upset, Charlie. He'll come around." Her tight-knit relationship with Bass wasn't a secret, but it was quite possible that Maggie knew exactly what she felt for him.

A metallic sound echoed in Charlie's ears. Where the hell were the guys? "Where are Miles and Bass?"

They found all three of them, Miles, Bass, and Jeremy, fighting a few men beside a broken down train. Swords clashed and clanged as the men battled. At first they seemed evenly matched, but it quickly became obvious that her uncle and his friends were the stronger fighters. Jeremy and Bass dispatched of their attackers within moments. But her uncle played things a little differently. Instead of killing his opponent, he batted the man's sword to the side, then punched him in the nose. The move caught the man off guard, and Miles was able to swing the guy around and slam him up against the caboose.

"So, I'm guessing, and you don't really have to tell me cause I already know, you're here to collect the bounty, am I right?" Miles asked, his sword against the man's throat. The man remained silent, his eyes digging into Miles. "Yeah, okay, that's answer enough."

Charlie reached for her uncle's arm just as he was about to deliver the killing blow. "Miles, Miles, stop!"

"What?"

"Are you just going to kill him?" It had been hard enough to watch Bass do it the day before.

"He's a bounty hunter, Charlie." He cast a glance down at the men Bass and Jeremy had already ended. "He wasn't alone. And I'm sure there are more coming."

"Yeah, but...do you have to?"

"I like this girl," the bounty hunter said.

Miles rolled his eyes, then socked the man hard enough to knock him out. "Shut up."

"This is a bad idea, man," Jeremy said, wiping the blood off his sword.

Charlie glared at Jeremy, still unsure whether she liked him or not. "We don't have to kill everybody."

"No, you don't have to kill anybody," Bass said. She looked up at him, eyes locking with his. He was still angry with her, the blue fire still glowing in his gaze. "Your uncle and I do. What exactly do you think is happening here? You think we're going to waltz right into Philadelphia and get Danny back without any violence? There's going to be more than a few deaths, Charlie."

She swallowed, praying she could hold back the tears threatening to erupt. She hated the steel in his eyes; it wasn't even like looking at Bass anymore. He'd become something cold and hard, and somehow, she felt it was all her fault.

Miles must have seen the look on her face; she heard his heavy sigh. "Alright, Bass, that's enough. Aaron, come here. Help me get him into a boxcar. Got to lock him up."

"Seriously?" Jeremy asked as Bass shook his head in disbelief.

Miles had done as she asked, and yet Charlie still felt terrible. If she didn't put things right with Bass, it just might drive her insane. All she would need to do was get him alone on the walk, then maybe she could explain things to him, smooth everything over.

But as the day carried on, Charlie never found time to be alone with him. He stayed by Jeremy or Miles, never letting her approach him. She knew he was mad, but she hadn't counted on him shutting her out so completely.

When they reached Pontiac, Illinois, she tried once again to get close to him. They were entering the little town, and she was hoping he would sling his arm around her like he'd done in Chicago. True, it was a town rather like the one she grew up not far from, small and local, but she still thought that maybe he would offer his protection. Her heart sank when he remained at Jeremy's side, his eyes watching her but refusing to make contact for longer than a few seconds.

Realizing he still wasn't in the mood to forgive, she gave up for a while, making her way to her uncle instead. When they saw a man being beaten, she studied the scene for a second before turning to Miles. "What did that man do?"

"It's militia, kid. Could be anything. Spoke up, looked at them sideways...who knows?"

"But, Miles, Danny's with guys like that. What are we doing here again?" The thought of her brother being in that situation terrified her.

"I told you, Charlie. There's someone I need to talk to," Miles said. He seemed to know exactly where he was going as he led them further into the labyrinthine streets of the town. Pontiac was far bigger than it originally seemed.

"Wait, Miles, my little brother's out there somewhere." She grabbed her uncle's arm, turning him to her. Their entire group stopped, all eyes trained on Charlie. "You know he hasn't been more than five miles from home since he was a little kid, and it's my job to look out for him."

Miles stepped closer to her, pulling her into a hug. "I know, kiddo. I do. I know you're worried. We all are. But I promise all these little stops we're making along the way are to help us out. If we want to get him back, we're going to have to go up against Neville himself and a couple thousand of his men. We need all the help we can get. Do you trust me, Charlie?"

She shook her head, taken aback that he would even have to ask that question. Could he not know that? Could he and Bass not understand how much she trusted them? Her eyes locked with her uncle, before focusing on Bass. "With my life...with Danny's life."

Bass must have gotten the message because something in his gaze softened. He nodded ever so slightly at her, and a small light glimmered in her heart. Maybe it wasn't too late.

"Then just be patient with me, okay?" Miles asked. She nodded at him, and he kissed the top of her head. "Good girl."

He motioned to Jeremy and Bass, waving them to follow. Bass stopped at her side for a moment. "Listen, we're just going to be gone for a few minutes. Stay here. Stay among the people, in public, where you can be seen."

"Okay."

"Hey." He reached down and covered her hand with his own. "We'll be right back."

The fact that he was touching her again did not go unnoticed by her or her body. Her blood was practically singing at the warmth of his hand. "We'll be here."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, try not to get yourself killed, kid."

Bass yanked him away from her, using a bit more force than necessary, and dragged him after Miles by the sleeve of his jacket. The last thing she heard before they rounded the corner was Jeremy's complaints about being manhandled.

 

 

Bass shoved Jeremy down the corridor towards Miles. "Would you stop picking on her?"

"The kid's green, Bass." Jeremy cocked an eyebrow. "Not that you want to acknowledge that. But you should, considering the way you look at her."

There was no use in even pretending to feign ignorance at Jeremy's words. He knew perfectly well the way he looked at Charlie. He'd seen it in his own mirror when she lingered on his mind. Which was pretty much all the time anymore.

He knew he'd hurt her when he pulled away from her yesterday. But his emotions had been running so high following the fight; he was afraid he'd do something drastic...like tug her against him and kiss her until they were both out of breath. It was flat out time to admit it; at least to himself.

He wanted Charlie Matheson.

In the worst way, with all of his heart and soul, he wanted her. That little scene with Nate had pushed him into exploring his feelings faster than he'd intended. But he'd gotten spoiled. For all those years in Sylvania Estates, he'd had her practically to himself, so he'd never really felt the need to rush things. None of the boys that lived in the village caught her interest, even though she'd certainly caught theirs. But none of them was willing to make a move, knowing that she spent most of her time with Bass; hell, it was practically known that she was his.

But now they were out here, out in the real world again, and he could no longer afford to hesitate. Unless he was willing to let her go, which he wasn't, he had to lay claim to her before he lost her. Before someone else made a move. He had to admit it all and lay his heart on the line.

He was madly in love with Charlie. Had been ever since her nineteenth birthday when he'd realized how damn beautiful she'd become. Not that he hadn't noticed before, but on that day, when she'd walked down the stairs in one of Maggie's dresses, he finally realized she'd become a grown up. Right before his very eyes. And he'd had to face the fact that his feelings for her had changed and developed into something new.

Everything about her was perfect. She was funny; she was smart...quick-witted and clever...and a damn good soldier as well. He adored every little thing about her. And he really never wanted to be anywhere else than by her side. The age difference didn't bother him. Maybe before the Blackout, it would have, maybe, but some deep down part of him suspected he would have fallen for her even in the old world. Anyway, times had changed. Now it was about survival of the fittest. Now it was time to make Charlotte Matheson his.

Jeremy leaned in close to him. "So...does Miles know? Cause he just might kick your ass."

Bass shoved him away. "Would you shut up?"

"Hmmm...so he doesn't know."

No, but Bass kind of believed he suspected. If their conversation on the plane the other day was any indication, he wasn't hiding his feelings for Charlie all that well. Maybe he never had.

"Uh, ladies," Miles called back. "Do you two wanna shut the hell up and move?"

Bass rolled his eyes, but he and Jeremy picked up the pace. "Have to be careful here. Lots of eyes and ears."

"Yeah, sort of counting on it," Miles said. They crossed through a darkened room to a bar. "Hey, we're looking for someone who plays cards here."

The bartender looked up at them. "Lot of people play cards here."

"You'd remember this one." Miles laid a nugget of gold on the bar, sliding it towards the bartender with his finger. "Nora Clayton."

The man pocketed the gold. "What's your business with Nora?"

"Look, we just need to know where she is."

"Who's asking?"

The cocking of a gun behind them stopped any answers. The three men spun around, all three whipping out guns and pointing them at the bounty hunter they'd left on the train. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

"That's what I said," Bass muttered.

"Yeah, I should have." Miles kept his gun trained on the man's head. "But you see, my niece, I have a soft spot for her."

"So how'd you get out?" Jeremy asked.

The bounty hunter squeezed his hand into a fist, the bloody bandage stretching across it. "Think I broke every bone in my hand trying to punch through the wood, but what can I say...the money on you guys is worth it."

Miles scoffed. "I don't suppose we could...call it a draw? You tell us where Nora is, we let you live."

"With the price tag tacked on your asses, I can retire to paradise." The man shook his head. "So, no, I don't think so."

Miles looked at Bass, shrugged. "Oh, well..."

Bass's blue eyes dug into the bounty hunter. "Give it your best shot. Let's see what happens."

"Okay." The hunter nodded at the bartender. "Let's see what happens."

A door opened and Charlie, Maggie, and Aaron were led in, knives to each of their throats. Bass snorted, anger seeping through him as he stared at the cold steel pressed against Charlie's delicate neck. He could see the set in Miles's jaw, the fury in his best friend's eyes at their family being threatened. They were going to slaughter these men.

"So...let's see how much of a soft spot you do have for your niece."

The man holding her pulled her tighter, the blade digging further into her skin. Bass surged forward, ready to slice her captor from stem to stern, but Miles's hand on his arm held him back. There were too many men against them to just jump right in. This was going to take planning.

"Alright, let them go." As soon as their friends were released, Miles turned to him, an entire conversation in his gaze. Bass got it; sighing, he dropped his weapons on the ground, holding his hands up in surrender; Miles did the same.

"Jesus." Jeremy rolled his eyes but followed them in surrendering. However, shackles were placed only on Miles and Bass.

"Sorry, pal, don't know you," the bounty hunter said, eyeing Jeremy. "The money is for these two only."

When they realized Jeremy wasn't being cuffed, Bass and Miles exchanged a glance. Bass nodded up at Charlie and the others. "Watch them."

Jeremy seemed to get the message, tipping his head and stepping back in front of Charlie. As much as he might rib Bass over his affection for her, he knew Jeremy would protect her regardless.

They were lead away, Bass casting one backward glance at Charlie. She was calling for him and Miles, Jeremy restraining her as she fought to break free.

They didn't get very far before stopping, by unspoken mutual agreement, both lashing out at the men in front of them, both shoving them away with a forceful kick. Miles leapt up, grabbing a strut above his head and swinging both feet at one of his captors, knocking the man down.

Bass ducked as a machete swung passed his head, imbedding in the wooden beam behind him. He elbowed his assailant in the jaw, ripping the knife out of the wood and slicing it through three more men, one right after the other.

Having killed all the men holding them, they both turned to the bounty hunter. Realizing he was all alone, he took off like a bolt of lightning. Miles ran after him, running up on top of a table and using the height to jump on the man, both collapsing on the ground. When the dust settled, Miles had wrapped his chains around the bounty hunter's neck, holding them taught.

"So is Nora here or not?"

The man struggled against the chain, fighting to speak. "No. Probably dead by now. She got arrested for stealing militia gold. They put her in some work camp south of here. Fort Chatsworth, I think."

"Thanks," Miles said, snapping the man's neck and dropping the body to the ground. He turned in time to see Charlie staring at him, a sad look in her eyes.

Bass stepped up to her, reaching out a hand to lightly touch her arm. "Charlie, he had no choice."

"I know." She eyed Bass, the sorrow in her eyes evident. She was going to lose her innocence on this journey, and the very thought of that killed him. "Watch them? Watch us so that you could get away."

"Yeah," Bass said. "I knew Jeremy would keep you safe until we could. Escape that is."

"I'm just glad you did," she said, her voice and eyes soft as she gazed at him. Damn, those big blue eyes. She reached for his hand again, the move tentative, as if she was afraid he'd pull away. As soon as her hand was in his, he squeezed it tightly, sensing the relief that coursed through her.

A multitude of women had passed through his life and his bed, both before and after the Blackout. But he had never, in all his years, been so head over heels before. He loved this woman to distraction. Maybe it was time to finally let her know.

 

 

Later that evening, as they sat around the campfire, Jeremy picked at the lock on Miles's handcuffs while Maggie tended to a small cut on Bass's arm. Charlie sat close to him, pleased that the tension between them had passed.

"So what I want to know is," Miles said, "why isn't there a bounty out for you, Jeremy?"

"Hey, I've always kept a low profile," Jeremy said, pausing in his task to glare up at Miles. "I ran that bar for years. If someone was looking for me, they would have found me already."

"Why is there a warrant out for you two?" Charlie asked, glancing between her uncle and Bass.

A look passed from Miles to Bass. "To throw us off the scent, Charlie. I'm sure the militia figures someone is coming after Danny. They can't afford to have that happen. Someone from the local town may have given the militia our names."

"Ben told them you weren't around," Maggie said.

"What do you mean?" Bass asked.

"The militia was there for Ben, but they questioned him about his brother's whereabouts as well. And yours, Bass. Then Danny intervened, and in the ruckus, Ben was shot, the militia snatching up Danny instead," Maggie explained. "But before, Ben told them that he only saw his brother from time to time, whenever he passed through town. He didn't tell them you lived with us. Why would Ben lie about that? And why were they looking for you before Danny was ever taken?"

Jeremy snorted. "Why indeed?"

Charlie got the distinct impression that once again, her favorite men were hiding something from her. That thought bothered her terribly. In all the years with them, she'd never felt that they'd kept anything from her until now.

"I don't know, Maggie," Miles said, he and Bass carrying on one of their Eye Meetings. "But now we have to keep a look out for bounty hunters as well. Something else on our tail that we didn't need."

"And, kid," Jeremy said, his gaze fixed on Charlie. "When we tell you we have to kill someone, we're gonna kill them."

At Charlie's chagrined look, Bass jumped in. "Leave her alone."

"Yeah, yeah." Jeremy opened the cuffs on Miles, tossing them in his gear.

"Thanks," Miles said, rubbing his wrists. Standing, he slipped his jacket on. "Alright, look, you guys stay here. I'll meet you in two weeks. Main Street, Lowell, Indiana. Got it?"

"Wait, you're leaving?" Charlie asked, bouncing up to stand beside her uncle.

"Don't have a choice. I gotta go get Nora. We need her."

"Who is this woman anyway?"

"She's really good at blowing stuff up," Miles explained. "And we can't get Danny back without her, Charlie. Trust me."

"Miles, come on. Let us come with you." She hated the pleading tone in her voice, but the last thing Charlie wanted was for her uncle to just disappear.

"If we all go, it'll just take that much longer." He stepped up to her, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. "Charlie, it's two weeks. Just stick with Bass and Jeremy and you'll be fine."

"Hey." Bass stood, grabbing Miles's attention. "Nora's not gonna want to see you. You didn't exactly leave things...that good."

"True, but you know I'm right, brother," Miles answered. "We can't do this without her."

Bass nodded. "I agree. So I'll go get her."

"No!" Charlie shouted. "I-I mean, we should all just stick together."

"Charlie, we're trying to make this as quick as possible," Miles said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Bass, stay here with them. I'll go."

"She's pissed off at you, and we don't have time to waste on this." Bass bent down to retrieve his pack. "I'll go get her. Nora always liked me."

"Well, you weren't sleeping with her," Jeremy muttered. Miles rolled his eyes. "He's right though, Miles. No time to waste."

The dark-haired man finally accepted with a nod and a sigh.

"Keep everybody safe," Bass said, his eyes falling on Charlie. "I'll see you in two weeks."

"Bass wait!" She hurried after him, catching up to him on the edge of their camp. He so rarely walked away from her, but it killed her every time that he did. She hadn't even really gotten a chance to talk to him since their little spat; she most certainly didn't want him leaving their camp for the next few weeks. "Let me go with you."

He placed a hand on her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the others all seemed to find themselves busy elsewhere. All except Jeremy, who was watching them with a huge smirk plastered on his face. She was pretty certain that at some point she was going to slug him, or at least break her hand trying. "Charlie, stay here with Miles. You guys will be safe. I can handle myself. I'll see you in two weeks time."

"But...we didn't even get to...talk." She was stammering; she never stammered around Bass. "I'm sorry. About Nate...I-"

"I know. It's alright. I'm not mad about it anymore." His electric blue eyes studied her, the intensity in them making her feel fuzzy and warm. "You and I have to have a big talk, Charlie, but...in two weeks, okay?"

"Bass..."

He grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers, caressing them. He raised her hand to his mouth, closing his eyes as he brushed his lips over her fingertips. Then he lifted his head, his eyes locked on hers. "Two weeks."

Bass turned and left the camp. She stood watching until the darkness swallowed him.

 

 

A few hours later, as everyone slept, Charlie gently slid out from under her covers, slipping her backpack on her shoulders. There was no way she was letting him go alone. She'd dutifully played along, staying at the camp, sitting around the fire. But her mind hadn't strayed from Bass for even a second.

On her hands and knees, she crawled backwards away from the camp, her eyes trained on Miles's sleeping form the whole time. He was the one she was worried about; if anyone was going to wake up and foil her plan to follow Bass, it was going to be him. So she stayed low, hunkered down and close to the ground. Once she felt far enough away, she carefully stood up, still backing out of their campsite. Figuring she was now out of range, she let out the breath she'd been holding, turning around to walk away.

And found herself face to face with Jeremy leaning against a tree. "Hi."

"I-I'm-"

"Sneaking off to go find Bass?" Jeremy supplied, an eyebrow raised at her.

"No, I..." At his disbelieving look, she gave up all pretense. "He's by himself."

"He does know how to handle himself, you know," he said pointedly. "He was a Marine."

"Yeah, everyone always says that, but I don't know what that means."

"It means he can handle himself." The blank look on her face must have convinced him to explain further. "It was a branch of the military, kid. They were all tough, but Marines were notoriously so. See, most of these yahoos running around after the Blackout with guns and weapons, they just got lucky. They're guys who survived. Men like Bass and your uncle, they were military trained to survive."

"So they're tougher than a lot of these other men?" she asked. No one had ever really explained this to her. In their village, both Bass and Miles were just one of the guys.

Jeremy chuckled. "Yeah. They can beat a lot of other men without blinking. You saw them in Chicago. And not only were they Marines, they were sergeants. Men like that became valuable after the Blackout. Because of their training...because they know how to fight, how to plan, how to do things like get your brother back from Neville. Everyone wants someone like them on their side, Charlie, and you have two."

She wrinkled her forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Neville has an entire militia, but most of those men are loyal out of fear. You have two men, far better trained than most of Neville's army, who would walk into the fires of hell for you. Because they adore you, both of them. So while this probably is a suicide mission, with these two beside you, you just may have a chance at saving your little brother."

"You think?"

"I think." He tipped his head in the general direction Bass had gone. "Go."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're not gonna tell Miles?"

"I'm not stupid enough to tell your uncle a thing. You're gone in the morning...I never saw you." He shot her a lopsided grin that she found herself returning. Maybe Jeremy wasn't so bad after all. "Just be careful, kid, alright?"

"I will." She cast a glance back towards the campfire. "They trained me."

"Yeah, I figured. But find him quick, okay? Don't need to be wandering around out there by yourself."

If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that he was a little worried about her. "I will."

"I mean it. Bass would flip if something happened to you because you were out there looking for him." Their eyes connected and Charlie realized he knew, knew all about Bass's family and what he had lost.

"I'll find him." She took a few steps away, then turned to him. "Thank you, Jeremy."

"I know he means a lot to you, kid. But you hang the moon as far as he's concerned." Surprise covered her face. He couldn't mean... "Come on, Charlie, you're not that dumb."

She smiled brightly, stepping around the tree he was leaning against. She paused as she passed him. "Jeremy, were you a Marine?"

"Nah...they trained me too. Now, go on. Get out of here."

She nodded, pulling her backpack straps tighter and running off into the night.


	4. Heat Of the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the very extreme delay on this. I got so overwhelmed over the holidays and then I caught this horrid cold that put a crimp in my updating efforts. Anyway, finally another chapter. And I am also working on another chapter of At Times I Almost Dream. I just want to thank everyone for all the support they've shown for this story.
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution.

  

It was the heat of the moment

Telling me what your heart meant

Heat of the moment shone in your eyes - _Heat Of The Moment - Asia_

 

 

She figured she was on Bass's trail; she'd already seen signs that he'd passed through the area. Little marks she knew he left, that someone less skilled in the art of following and obsessing over Bass would never pick up. She'd walked half the night, on only an hour or two of sleep, so she had to be nearing him.

A noise in the woods, off to her right, caught her attention. Time to pick up the pace. Scurrying down a short but steep hill, she began to skid, sliding the rest of the way, falling from the concrete wall beneath an overpass. Hitting the ground, she let out a short yelp, grabbing her ankle and massaging it.

That's when she heard movement directly behind her. Looking up, she saw Nate slowly walking down the hill. "You!"

He shook his head. "I better take a look at it."

"I don't need your help, Nate. Stay away!"

He dropped his pack and hopped down beside her. Carefully kneeling by her side, he gently lifted her leg, only to find himself handcuffed to a metal pole. She pulled away, rolling out of his reach. He stood, his face flushed with anger. "Oh, that's good, Charlie. Really, I'm impressed."

"Don't be. You're stomping around like an elephant back there." She met his eyes head on, refusing to back down or show any fear or compassion. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm following your friend, same as you. Those are the orders. Bring Sebastian Monroe and Miles Matheson back alive."

She narrowed her eyes. "So you're militia? What the hell does Neville want with my family?"

"I don't know, Charlie. I can't answer that."

"Why follow Bass then? My uncle didn't go with him."

He sighed. "Someone else is on your uncle's tail."

"Well, here's where you stop following us." She turned and walked away.

He pulled on his chains. "So you're just going to leave me like this?"

"Yeah. You're such a crack soldier. You can figure a way out." Spinning around, she continued to leave him behind, calling out a last warning. "But stay the hell away from all of us!"

An hour later, she gingerly made her way past an old overgrown playground, avoiding some of the metal structures and poles sticking out of the tall grass. A deflated basketball on the ground took her back to her childhood, to a memory of a strange man who had held her at gunpoint. A man so desperate for food that he'd threatened her life.

When the hand fell on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

 

 

"Damn it, Charlie. What the hell are you doing here?" Bass was pissed, but the spike of fear that shot through his heart when he'd seen her had yet to subside.

"I'm coming with you."

"I told you I would come and find you." He settled his hands on both of her shoulders. "Remember I said that. Two weeks. Jesus, Miles is probably freaking out."

"I know, but..." Tears filled her eyes. God, there was almost nothing that tore at his heart more than her tears. "I didn't want you to be alone."

He sighed. "I can-"

"Handle yourself. I know. Jeremy explained more about...what a Marine was." He closed his eyes. That was a part of his life he'd hoped she'd never have to know about. Not so much before the Blackout, but what had happened afterwards... "So I understand you're tough and you can blink and knock guys out, but...I still didn't want you to be alone."

He grabbed her and pulled her into a big hug. What she'd done was stupid, but she'd done it for him, and he couldn't deny that the sweetness of it tugged at his heartstrings. "How'd you sneak off anyway? Miles didn't catch you?"

"No. Well, I mean, I crawled out of camp." He let out a laugh. "And I did run into Jeremy."

"Baker let you leave on your own?" He'd kill him when he got back.

"I think he knew I was determined to get to you."

Her eyes locked on his, and he nodded. Yeah, they still had to have that big talk. That was another reason he'd volunteered to be the one to find Nora. He'd wussed out a bit, figuring that he could take the two weeks to get his thoughts together. This might very well be the most important conversation of his life; there was no way he wanted to screw it up.

"I can help you, Bass."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't doubt your abilities, Charlie. It's just, I didn't want you out there by yourself. Miles is going to kill you **and** me."

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, cause reason always works with Miles Matheson." They both chuckled. Her uncle's ability to overreact to things was legendary.

"I didn't mean to worry anyone."

"I know, Charlie." He ran a hand down her hair. Their conversation was still going to have to wait. He was right on Nora's trail. "I found what we're looking for."

Taking her hand, he led her a little further into the woods, both crouching down behind a copse of trees. Suddenly, the chain gang appeared, men and women pushing a huge vehicle on a cart. "Is that..."

"Yeah, Charlie, that's an AH-1Z Viper." At her blank look, he explained. "It's a helicopter the Marines used."

"Did you ever fly in one?"

"Yeah, I did." And he knew exactly what a fully-operational aircraft like that was capable of. "Crazy son of a bitch must actually think he can get the power going."

"Who?" Charlie asked.

"General Neville."

"But...that's impossible, isn't it?"

"Don't know, Charlie." Bass looked at her, his eyes serious. "But if he does, imagine what he could do with one of those."

She held his gaze for a minute, before turning back to the line of people. "What did those prisoners do, Bass?"

"Knowing Neville's militia, most probably just didn't pay their taxes." Her scanned the prisoners, his eyes narrowing in on what he was searching for. "That's Nora."

"Uncle Miles dated her?" Bass grunted an affirmative. "She's pretty."

"Yes, she is." Bass glanced at her from the corner of his eye, her sudden frown causing a spike in his heart rate. "But I prefer blondes."

She grinned, hiding it behind her hand. But he saw it anyway.

Their brief good mood was interrupted by shouting from the chain gang. A man had fallen right in front of Nora, who seemed to be encouraging him to stand back up. A guard sauntered over, drawing a rifle as he walked. Before another word was uttered, the warden on horseback shot the man in the head.

Charlie inhaled sharply, turning towards Bass. He wrapped an arm around her pulling her against his chest, anger seething through him. Sons of bitches, shooting defenseless prisoners like that. But he was completely outgunned. "I tell you something. I may be good with a sword, but against a rifle like that..."

"You have a gun, Bass."

"With very few bullets left, Charlie." He patted his handgun. "It wouldn't do much against these guys anyway. That's not a basic shotgun. That's an assault rifle."

Later that night, Bass watched as Charlie hid behind a tree, her eyes on the sleeping prisoners in the camp. She tapped on the tree trunk to get the guard's attention and disappeared into the shadows before he could see her. She was no soldier, but hunting had taught her how to become invisible in the woods.

The guard made his way in her direction, but she was already ducking out of view. Bass met her eyes before he snuck into the compound across from her, where Nora sat staring at the campfire.

He crept up behind Nora. But before he could touch her, she stopped him, turning in his direction. "Buddy, I'd keep your hands-"

Pressing a finger to his lips, he silenced her. Her eyes widened when she realized who he was. "Hi, Nora."

"Bass?" He reached for the chain around her ankle, ready to pick the lock on the shackle. She pushed his hands away. "No, get out of here."

It popped open with no resistance. He frowned. "It's not even locked."

"That's because I picked it." She tried to put the cuff back on, but Bass pulled the chain away from her leg and hurried her out of the compound. They both ran off, him leading her back to the rendezvous point with Charlie.

"Thank you so much," Nora whispered, hunkering behind the trees, anger evident even in her hushed tones. "I didn't want to be rescued. And I sure as hell didn't need to be."

"Look, I'm sorry," Bass whispered back. "I had no idea you were running a con here."

"What the hell are you doing here anyway, Bass?"

"We need your help." He glanced back at the chain gang, a constant eye out for the militia. "What are **you** doing?"

"Sniper rifle. I'm stealing the sniper rifle."

Charlie was shocked. She glanced from Bass to Nora. "You went through all that trouble for a rifle?"

Nora eyed her for a minute. "Who the hell is this?"

"She's..." What exactly was she to him? The woman he loved. Everything. He wasn't exactly sure those were answers he should be giving at this time. Not until he and Charlie actually got the opportunity to talk. "She's family. Miles's niece."

"His brother's kids?" At Bass's nod, she studied Charlie more intently. "I remember you guys were trying to find them. Guess you succeeded."

"Can we get back to the question at hand here?" Charlie asked, uncomfortable with all the scrutiny.

Nora rolled her eyes. "Well, that rifle is more than worth it. The militia controls all guns, so a beauty like that on the black market...priceless. I was gonna sneak up, slit the warden's throat, but now, sneaking's kind of out."

Bass shrugged. "I didn't know that, Nora. I'm sorry."

Nora was silent for a moment. "So how is he?"

No need to ask who the 'he' in question was. "He's fine. But we could use your help."

"With what?"

When Bass didn't answer right away, Charlie jumped in. "Militia took my brother. Bass and Miles are helping me get him back."

"Seriously?"

"We've got Jeremy already. We need you." Nora scoffed. "Come on, you owe us."

"For that amazing rescue?"

"You know what for." Bass and Nora held a look, an entire conversation passing wordlessly between them.

"Okay," Nora finally agreed. "But I'm getting that gun first. No arguments, Bass."

"Nora, you're never going to get close to that rifle." He motioned at the camp. "Not without them shooting you with it."

"If you want my help, we're getting that gun."

He sighed. "Alright, come on."

 

 

They found shelter in an old tool shed, Bass keeping watch as Charlie and Nora rested. When morning came, Nora gathered different ingredients together, assembling what Charlie assumed was a weapon of some type.

"Well, not exactly a Colt .45, but it'll do the trick."

Bass chewed on some jerky, studying her small gun. "You're going to shoot the warden with that?"

"That's the idea, Bass."

"That thing only works from a foot away. How are we going to get close enough?"

"We'll sneak up."

"In broad daylight? They know what you look like. They'll kill you on sight."

Charlie watched the entire exchange, an idea forming in her head. "So I'll do it."

Bass turned to her, his eyes a vibrant blue. "Excuse me?"

"An innocent girl, lost in the woods. I can get close."

"I like her." Nora smiled, stepping over to Charlie, gun at the ready. "I like her a lot."

"No, there's no way." Bass stepped between them. "She's not doing it."

"It's a good idea, Bass." Nora wrapped a piece of twine around the gun's barrel. "She just takes out the warden. You and I sweep up the rest."

"You can't do it." His eyes dug into Charlie.

"Bass-"

He grabbed her arm, pulling her slightly away from Nora. "Charlie, I'm not letting you do this. You start down a path like this, there's no coming back."

"Bass, we're on the road to storm into Philadelphia and get my little brother back. You said things were going to change on this trip. That we couldn't do this without violence playing a part."

He dropped his head. "I was angry when I said that, Charlie."

"But you were right."

"Look, your uncle and I will have to do things, but that doesn't include you. I don't want...this for you."

She pressed a palm against his cheek. His concern for her was always touching. "It can't just be you, Miles, and Jeremy. You've trained me. You've brought me out into the world. Let me live in it. And if it takes some of the shine off of me, I'll just have to live with that."

He leaned in, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Charlie, nothing in the world could ever make you less bright. But you're still so innocent."

She stared up at him. God, she did love him so. "My brother is worth it. So are those 30 other innocent people down there working as slaves."

The fight left his eyes. He loved Danny as much as she and Miles did. And she knew he couldn't argue against the fate of the other prisoners. "You hated it the other day when I killed that man, Charlie. I saw the look on your face. And he attacked you. For this, you have to get close to make the shot. And it's harder than you can ever imagine pulling that trigger the first time."

It would be difficult, but she still had to do this. "It didn't change the way I feel about you, Bass."

He swallowed. "I'm just worried that it will change the way **you** feel about you, Charlie."

"I have to try." She pulled away from him, stepping up to Nora. "What do I have to do?"

Nora wrapped the twine around Charlie's wrist, strapping the makeshift gun to her body. Bass slid her jacket back on, carefully setting it over her lower arm. Her eyes met Bass's and she couldn't remember a time that she'd ever wanted to kiss him more. He must have sensed it, sensed something between them, because he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly and whispering 'good luck' in her ear.

A few minutes later, she stepped into the full view of the guards, standing awkwardly and staring at them. It only took a moment before she was spotted.

"You!" A guard shouted at her, readying his gun. "Put it down. Right now!"

She gently dropped her crossbow and lifted her arms in surrender. "I'm sorry. I was just hunting."

He stomped over to her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I was hunting." She schooled her features to be stoic, the way her uncle and Bass had trained her. "I got lost."

He picked up her crossbow, yanking her forward by the arm.

"Hey! Take it easy," the warden said. "Bring her over here."

It felt as if time was moving in slow motion as she was marched over to the warden. Her mind flashed back to the day she'd recalled earlier, when the man had threatened her life and stolen her family's food. Her father had been unable to pull the trigger. But her mother...when push came to shove and the people she loved were in danger, Rachel Matheson acted, shooting the man in the back as he walked away. Ben had told her she was strong, like her mother. She prayed she had the strength to follow in her mother's footsteps right now.

"So, you're lost, huh?" the warden asked. She nodded ever so slightly. "I know the area pretty good. Where you from?"

She hesitated for only a moment. Bass was right; it was harder than it should be to pull the trigger. The memories of her mother echoed through her brain, and she shot the gun, the ammo firing directly into the man's chest. She flipped forward, scooping up the rifle he'd dropped and rolling out of the way of the sword arcing down towards her. She used the gun to block her attacker's sword, holding it as far from her face as possible.

Suddenly, arrows took out a few of the other guards, and she knew her friends had entered the camp. But she could see one man pulling his weapon as he ran in her direction. Struggling with the guard above her, she tried to keep an eye on the new approaching assailant. A familiar shout reached her ears, and the soldier fell a few feet from her. But more militia swarmed around Bass and Nora.

So she was on her own again. She relaxed one of her arms, allowing the gun to dip down but also providing her with a chance to gain some upwards momentum. She smacked the butt of the gun into the guard's face, knocking him back. Getting a grip on the gun, she fired a direct shot as he leapt for her again. The force of the blast knocked him back, and he collapsed on the ground in a heap.

Bass's eyes met hers and he ran over to her, helping her up and checking her over for injuries. A small yelp from Nora pulled their attention away from each other. Charlie and Bass hurried over to her, helping her over to a tree stump. She'd gotten a fierce-looking slash across the ribs.

"I can take care of it," Nora insisted. "Just help get these people unchained. These people you set free, Charlie."

Charlie wasn't sure why that didn't make her feel any better.

 

 

After all the prisoners were released, Bass found Charlie sitting off by herself, a distant look on her face. He was worried about her state of mind; she'd been quiet ever since they'd raided the camp. He plopped down beside her, resting a hand on top of hers and threading their fingers together. "Hey, how are you?"

"I killed two men, Bass. How do you think I am?"

"I'm so sorry, Charlie. I never wanted you to have to do things like this. I never wanted...I never wanted you to have to leave Sylvania Estates." He looked away from her, off into the woods. "I know you wanted to see the world, but I knew what this world had to offer. I just wanted to keep you from it. We all did."

"But this is the world we live in, Bass. You can't keep me from it forever."

"I know." His eyes found hers. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. You should be in a better world than this one, Charlie."

"Not everything in this world is bad."

Her eyes were so sincere as she gazed at him. Time to stop beating around the bush, idiot. Talk to her. Tell her. "Charlie, I-I told you we needed to talk. Maybe we should...do that."

A small smile found its way to her face. "Maybe..."

Jesus, this was going to be harder than he'd thought. It was ridiculous; he was never nervous around her. "Charlie, you're an amazing woman. And...I've always thought of you as very special."

"I always thought you were special too, Bass."

"We've been friends, good friends, for a long time now." She nodded. "And I just need you to know that you mean a lot to me."

"I do."

"I would never want to do anything to hurt you." Damn, he sounded like he was ending things with her, not asking her to be his. Step up and be a man. "Charlie, my feelings for you have changed. I can't look at you and see the little girl that you were anymore. All I see is this stunning, beautiful, intelligent woman who takes my breath away every time I'm around her. And I have no idea if you could ever feel anything for me, other than friendship. Also, I'm older than you, a lot older. And on this trip, you may meet some young men, your age-"

His ramble was cut off when she turned his head towards her and kissed him, her lips soft against his. He responded but didn't allow the kiss to turn passionate. It was, however, filled with a promise of love. After a moment, she pulled away, resting her forehead against his and gazing into his eyes. "Age doesn't matter to me, Bass. There is no one I could ever want more than you."

Bass chuckled. "I had this whole big speech I was going to use to convince you."

Smiling, she nuzzled her face against his beard. "I don't need convincing. But sorry to throw you off your game. I've been in love with you for years, Bass. Did you seriously not know?"

"Maybe I was afraid to hope." He kissed her again, a little more heated this time. "And you're so much younger. Not that I ever had any inappropriate thoughts about you when you were younger."

"Yeah, I know, Bass." She smirked up at him. "Sadly, I can't say the same...I had plenty of inappropriate thoughts about you when I was a teenager."

Her words shot a lightning bolt through his body, warming his blood. He placed another small kiss on her lips. "I can live with that."

"When did you know?"

He stroked a hand down her hair. "When you were 19. On your birthday, we had that special dinner for you. And you wore that electric blue dress of Maggie's. Your eyes seemed to be glowing that night. All of you was. And I'd never seen anything more breathtaking."

"Bass..."

"But it's more than your beauty, Charlie. I love being with you."

"I love being with you too." She snuggled in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her nose against his jaw. Suddenly, she pulled back. "Wait, you knew when I was 19, and you waited until now?"

He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, I kind of had you to myself at home. Out here on the road..."

"Nate freaked you out?" She arched an eyebrow at him, the answer already evident.

"A little. He certainly made me think about it. I guess you could say he kicked my ass into gear."

"Suddenly, I'm glad we met him." She grabbed his hand. "In the spirit of full disclosure, I did run into him on my way here."

"What? Jesus, Charlie."

"I took care of it. I chained him to an emergency call box pole. And I hid my tracks. I don't think he's going to follow us anymore."

He smiled at her. After all this time, this incredible woman was his. Finally. He reached out for her. "Come here."

He kissed her once again, a small moan escaping her as it deepened. "Bass, what about Miles? Will he be okay with this?"

"Yeah, Charlie, he either will be or he'll come around." He narrowed his eyes, his best friend on his mind. "I suspect he may already know. Regardless, he knows there is no one on this earth who will protect you and look out for you as much as I will. I would die for you, Charlie."

"I don't want you to die for me, Bass. I want you to live for me." She kissed him gently. God, he would never get tired of her touch.

"I can do that." She rested her head against his chest. "We're going to take this slow, Charlie. I don't want to mess this up with you. Plus, being on the road like this, we're not going to get a lot of time alone."

"So no snuggling?" She pressed her nose against his chest, inhaling his scent.

"Well, I didn't say that." He kissed the top of her head. "But let's just take our time."

"As long as we're together, Bass, I don't care." He heard the smile and contentment in her voice. It wrapped his thoughts right back around to what she'd faced with the militia guards.

"I'm still so sorry about today, Charlie."

"We have to get Danny back at all costs. I told you he was worth it."

"I know." He ran his hand up and down her back. "I know, baby, but I don't want you to get lost along the way."

"I won't. I have you and Miles on my side. You won't let me fall too far."

He wanted to tell her that he would never allow that to happen, that he would always be there to shelter her. But he was afraid of what this journey would do to all of them. This trip into the heart of the beast's lair.

And he suspected the one huge mistake he and Miles had made had already come back to bite them on the ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I figured in this story, I wasn't going to keep Charlie and Bass apart for a long time. Doesn't mean there won't be a few rocky roads for them, but hey, Charloe from here on out :)


	5. Blood Is Thicker Than Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for their reviews, and comments, and kudos, and favorites, and follows. It is so very appreciated. I have to thank LemonSupreme once again for her invaluable help in looking this over for me. And hey Irish and Ladyhawke...I know this is a bit late, but it got to be VERY long. So long I had to cut it in half. The next chapter is pretty much done and should be up in a few days.
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution...

Here comes the rain  
Another day another storm  
I walk this mile  
And I'll ask **no quarter**  
For in the end  
Blood is thicker than water - _Blood Is Thicker Than Water – Black Label Society_

 

 

Bass held Charlie's hand as they neared the meeting point with Miles and the others. They'd already talked about what they were going to say to the rest of the gang; how they were going to explain that circumstances between them had changed. They decided it would just be easiest to come right out and tell them; having secrets on the road was not ideal.

For Charlie, the past week with Bass had been the best of her life. Considering Nora was with them, they tried to keep the affection down to handholding and a few kisses. Although, she did sleep every night in his bedroll, in his arms. And she'd never been happier. But that in itself caused a conflict within her; everything with Bass was so wonderful, yet she was terrified for Danny. She wasn't sure she should be carrying so much joy inside her when her brother was in so much peril.

"Still with me?" Bass asked. He was well aware of the turmoil she was suffering through, and she was grateful he was letting her work through it in her own time.

"Yeah...we're getting close. I just hope no one is upset."

He lifted their joined hands. "About us?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "I know finding Danny's the most important thing-"

"Charlie, we're going to find him. What's happening between us is not going to change that. Getting your brother back is our top priority." He kissed her hand, still linked with his. "Maybe our timing could have been a little better, but hey...you are allowed to find a little happiness in all this tragedy."

From up ahead, Nora cleared her throat. "Is this a private conversation or can anyone join in?"

In the time since they'd met, Charlie found she really liked Nora. She was spunky and tough as nails, something Charlie appreciated; she found herself hoping she could be a little more like Nora someday. "No, it's not. Why?"

"I just want to tell you that Bass is right. I get this thing with the two of you is new, so I understand why you're so excited. I don't think your family would want to deny you that. And it really has no bearing on finding your brother."

"I'm just worried he's suffering while I'm not..."

"And you don't want Miles or Maggie to be mad about it," Bass finished. "Charlie, believe me, if Miles is pissed at all, it's going to be at me. And it's not going to have anything to do with this getting in the way of finding Danny."

Both he and Nora smiled at her, and she couldn't help but join in. She was discovering the true meaning of family and friends on this journey. And discovering far more about herself and the others in her group. "Thanks, guys."

Bass wrapped an arm around her, kissing her quickly on the lips, then on the forehead. "Come on. Let's keep moving. I want to meet up with the others as soon as we can."

They continued walking, Charlie's hand still firmly in Bass's. "So, Nora, you said the rebel camp isn't that far from where we're meeting up with the others."

"Yeah, about an hour's walk away. I just have to deliver the rifle, and we can go on towards Philly."

"So you really are a rebel now, huh?" Bass asked, eyebrow cocked.

"For the hundredth time, Bass, yes, I'm a rebel. Why is that so hard for you to believe?" She stopped and turned towards him. "We haven't known each other in a long time."

"You're right. Sorry." Bass pulled his hand away from Charlie and held both up in surrender. "It's just rough going up against Neville-."

"You're going up against Neville."

"Yeah, we are." Bass chuckled, a low throaty sound with no humor in it at all. "Sometimes, you have to do things you don't necessarily want to do."

They continued on their way in silence. After a few minutes, Bass's hand slid slowly back into Charlie's.

 

 

They entered the town of Lowell at almost exactly the meeting time. Making their way to Main Street, Charlie called out for the others. "Hello?"

"Charlie?" She heard Maggie's distinct English accent clear as day. Dropping Bass's hand, she hurried around the corner, seeing her little makeshift family, all with very different expressions on their faces. Maggie got to her first, throwing her arms around Charlie and hugging her close. "Oh…you're alright."

Aaron looked as if he might jump in for the next hug, but Miles slid in between Charlie and Maggie. And Miles was seriously pissed. "I am so ridiculously mad at you I can't even explain it."

"Miles, I'm sorry."'

"I'm serious, Charlie. I am going to kill you." But his actions belied his words; he reached out, pulling her into a bear hug. She wasn't sure she'd ever been held so tightly by Miles Matheson in all of her life. "Jesus, don't you ever do that again."

"I won't." She glanced over at Bass, his expression full of mirth as he took in uncle and niece.

Miles looked over to his best friend. "And you, you son of a bitch, she left for you. I would kill you if I didn't know you were protecting her for the last two weeks."

"Kill Baker," Bass said, his eyes boring into the tall blond man behind Miles. "He's the one who let her leave."

The entire group turned to Jeremy. He held up his hands. "Hey, she wanted to go..."

Charlie felt extremely bad that he was getting in trouble on her account. "It's not his fault. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to Bass.

The daggers shooting from Miles's eyes didn't stop. "You and I will talk later, Baker. Charlie, don't you ever go chasing after Bass again."

Well, it was now or never. She stepped closer to Bass, taking his hand in hers. "I won't have to. I already caught him."

Charlie watched as the meaning of her words sunk in. Maggie seemed to understand right away, and Jeremy already knew. Aaron was his usual self, as if he understood but wanted to play dumb about it anyway. But nothing beat Miles. His expression went from confusion to acceptance all in a matter of seconds. She imagined it was the way Bass described one of those fast old cars going from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye.

Miles glanced between the two of them, his eyes settling on Bass. "Well...I knew it."

"Yeah, I guess I haven't hidden it real well, have I?" Bass asked, wrapping an arm around Charlie.

"No, you sucked at it." He looked at Charlie. "Is he really what you want, kiddo?"

"More than anything."

Miles sighed. "Alright...well, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

"I appreciate the protective uncle thing, but I think you know better than that," Bass said.

Miles simply nodded, his eyes moving to Charlie. "I love you, kid, but if you hurt him...I'm going to be pissed at you."

Charlie grinned. Only her uncle could manage to threaten two of the people he loved with good intentions. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms back around Miles. "I get it. And...we're still the Three Musketeers."

"Yeah, always, kiddo." It was then his eyes shifted and fell on the new member of their party. "Nora?"

"Miles."

Nora scanned over their small ragtag band. "And this is who you have going up against the militia? Two Marines, a spitfire of a girl, a Brit, and a fat guy?"

"Hey!" Aaron shouted.

"And Baker...whatever the hell he is." Nora shook her head and walked away.

Miles ran after her, and Bass put a hand on Charlie's arm when she started to follow. "Give them a few minutes. They have a lot to talk about."

She nodded, watching the animated conversation, then turned her attention back to the group when she saw the two of them approaching again. Nora hurried past them without a word.

"Alright, well, seems we have to make a detour at a rebel base. Thanks for that, by the way, Bass," Miles complained.

"This is my fault?" Bass shrugged.

"Just everyone grab your crap. Let's go," Miles barked, taking off after Nora.

Bass flipped his pack onto his back. "Come on, guys."

He waited for Charlie, but from the look on Aaron's face, she knew he wanted a word. She signaled at Bass to go on ahead, then fell into step with her friend. "So...do you have a speech?"

"A speech?"

"About me and Bass." When he shook his head, she sighed. Sometimes getting Aaron to talk was like pulling teeth. "I could tell when we first announced it. You had something to say, so just say it."

He cleared his throat. "I know, Charlie, that you've sort of had a thing for Bass for a while. Uh, and he certainly showered you with attention. I mean, the three of you are always together, but it was obvious there was something deeper between you and Bass."

"You say all this like it's a bad thing." She raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's not. He's just...maybe the only suitable guy for you in our village."

"And you think out here in the world, I'll find someone better?"

"Well, not better. Bass is a good man. He's just a hell of a lot older than you." Aaron rolled his eyes. "Sorry, my speech isn't going so well. I just want to make sure you're happy."

She glanced at him. "Is that what you're concerned about? That I'm happy."

"Yeah, of course."

"Aaron, Bass makes me so happy that I've felt terrible this past week for not feeling bad enough about Danny." She reached out and took the big man's hand. "I wish I could tell you not to worry. And you know Bass looks out for me. Are you really worried about him hurting me?"

"No, I guess not," Aaron murmured. "I think Bass would lay down his life for you. But there are things we're just finding out about him and your uncle. I just want you to be...cautious."

She'd already dealt with the fact that the two men she loved were far more than meets the eye. "I will be, Aaron. And I really am happy."

"Good." He placed an arm around her shoulder, yanking her in for a little side hug. "Sorry, Charlie, just always looking out for your welfare."

"I know."

"Hey, Stay-Puft, stop manhandling my girl," Bass called back at them.

Aaron shook his head. "He's going to be really annoying now, isn't he?"

"Probably."

 

 

As they approached the derelict building that served as the rebel's hideout, Jeremy and Bass let out a huge laugh.

Miles was far less amused. " **This** is your rebel base?"

Nora shot him a look that quickly shut him up. She led the others quietly towards the entrance, peering into the screen door of the abandoned bakery. Suddenly a voice shouted down from above and all eyes turned to the man with the crossbow on the roof, covering their every move.

"Take it easy," Nora said, as more men crept out from behind trees and abandoned cars. With his hand still in hers, Bass moved instinctually in front of Charlie; she wanted to be annoyed but actually found the gesture endearing.

Suddenly, a large black man pushed past one of the armed guards, his eyes trained on Nora. "It's okay. Nora, thank God."

He ran forward and pulled the dark-haired woman into a huge hug; she fell into his arms. "Nicholas."

Charlie caught a quick glance of the tension on her uncle's face. She hadn't yet pressed, but it might be time she got more of the Miles and Nora story from Bass.

"You got the rifle," Nicholas said.

"Hey," Miles called, drawing the man's attention to them. "I'm Stu Redman. This is Frannie and Larry. Glen and Nadine. And that tall, blond son of a bitch over there is Tom."

Charlie jerked when she heard her uncle give fake names for all of them, but a firm squeeze of Bass's hand held her in check. He must have had a good reason to keep their identities hidden.

Nora also just accepted the names. "They're friends of mine."

Nicholas glanced over their crew, then turned back to Nora. "Listen, we're in trouble. It's bad."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked.

Nicholas led them into what appeared to be a restaurant. Charlie had seen the bakery sign on the truck outside and she could see the large ovens here. Maggie used to talk about buying homemade bread from some places that offered seating to have coffee with Danishes and pastries. What really caught her attention now, though, was the people sitting or laying all over the room. Something had gone very wrong here. "Oh, my God."

Her stepmother must have had the same reaction, for all her doctoring skills rose to the surface, and she rushed over to one patient who appeared terribly wounded. "Dear God. Charlie, come help me. Keep pressure right here."

She let go of Bass and hurried to the injured man's side. She could hear Nora ask what had happened, but all of her focus was on helping Maggie. She vaguely caught sight of Jeremy, Miles, and Bass checking out a few of the others, as Aaron watched in horror when someone pulled a sheet over a dead man's face. This was what Neville wrought on his people; she suddenly wanted to get Danny out of his clutches more than ever before.

Glancing down, she caught her patient's eye; he was young, barely older than her if she had to guess. He lifted his head as if to speak, but she couldn't make out the words he was struggling to say. A minute later, his head dropped back down, and he closed his eyes for the final time. Charlie could see Maggie's anguish over losing someone; the pain matched her own.

"We went on a raid this morning. Militia supply dump out in Crown Point. We were trying to score some guns, but...it was a trap. Soldiers came from everywhere," Nicholas explained.

"Are all your people accounted for?" Miles asked.

"Twelve dead. One missing."

"Missing?" Bass asked. "Was he captured?"

"I don't know," Nicholas admitted.

"You don't know," Miles said, exasperation evident. "What if he was?"

"What if he's giving up your position right now?" Bass added.

Nicholas looked both confused and angry. "I'm sorry. Who the hell are you two again?"

"Nick," Nora added. "We can't stay here."

"Damn right." Jeremy joined the group, wiping blood off his hands. "We have to patch these people up and go."

"We're in no shape to travel."

"You don't have a choice, man," Bass said. "Militia could be coming for you right now."

Charlie made her way over to Bass, leaning against his arm, tears forming in her eyes. "He's dead."

"Oh, baby." He wrapped his arms around her, lightly kissing the top of her head.

Miles glanced at Nora. "This is what being a rebel gets you."

"Miles." Bass's tone was reprimanding, and he pulled Charlie away from the group. The last thing she wanted to hear was how bad the situation was. Cuddling in Bass's arms, her mind touched on both her brother and how terribly she wished she could just be back in Sylvania Estates, her family all around her.

Ten minutes later, Miles pulled Nora away from Nicholas and half dragged her over to where Bass, Charlie, and Jeremy were standing. "We did it, okay? We delivered your stupid rifle to your whiny ass rebel buddies. It's time to go."

"Look around you." She gestured to the injured men and women. "These people are hurt."

"Nora, I get that. But we need to get them out of here now," Bass said. There was no way in hell he wanted to be in the building for longer than 10 minutes. Not with Charlie still there. He wanted her and the rest of his family safe. "That was a kill order. The militia is going to be hunting for them."

"It is extremely dangerous here, for all of us," Jeremy added. "So let's get this show on the road and get these people moved."

"They can't just be rushed."

Bass could tell Nora was getting as pissed as Miles. When those two collided, fireworks exploded. But it could also turn into an all-out argument, and they didn't need that right now. "Nora, we're going to have to try."

"Or we're going to have to make some tough field decisions," Miles said, his voice hard. Bass recognized the tone; he'd heard it enough in Iraq. This was a commanding officer making a difficult call. Bass had made of few of those himself. "The ones that can't move or be moved will have to stay behind."

"Miles." Charlie's shocked intake of breath stabbed a dagger into Bass's heart. She had no idea what her uncle had said or done prior to finding her family in Wisconsin. Even worse, she had no idea what **he** had done. And God he was afraid of the moment that she found out. "We can't just leave them."

"Charlie, I don't like it anymore than you do, but we don't have the time," Miles explained.

"You haven't changed at all. Still only thinking of yourself," Nora snapped, her eyes shooting fire at Miles.

"Actually, I'm thinking about my nephew. **My** family. I need to get them out of here. And I need to get Danny away from Neville and his militia as soon as possible. I made a promise to my brother."

"And these people and their cause means a lot to me." Jesus, the fight was about to begin. Bass wasn't even sure how the hell to stop it.

Miles's eyes shot to a point over his shoulder before locking back on Nora. Like a moody little boy, he thrust a hand in his pocket and stared at her. "Does this have anything to do with Shaq over there? The honest love of a good man. Is that why you're fighting with these amateurs?"

She gaped at him. "Wow, can you boil everything down to getting laid?"

Bass grew suddenly uncomfortable, especially with Charlie standing right there. The obvious answer was yes, most guys could. He was no exception to the rule. He loved Charlie and respected the hell out of her, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't think about the time when they would finally be intimate with one another. It made him feel better to see the same guilty look on Jeremy's face. "OK, guys, way too much information way too fast."

Nora fixed Miles with a dirty look. "You're acting like a jealous child."

"Well, something happened to you. I'm betting it's that guy."

"Nicholas is a Catholic priest, you ass." Four heads swiveled towards Nicholas as he helped Maggie wrap a man's wounds. "Not that it's any of your business, but I am here for a guy. Now let's just drop it."

Bass could almost feel it before it happened. There was a change in the air, a shift in the wind. Or maybe it was just the instincts of being a soldier for years. But before the shooting even started, he dove towards Charlie, dropping on top of her as he pushed her to the ground. He caught Miles doing the same with Nora. Baker had dropped out of harm's way, and Bass had the presence of mind to seek out Maggie and Aaron, both of whom were safely pressed against the floor. Damn, they'd had even less time than they thought.

As bullets continued to crisscross through the building, Bass curled around Charlie, holding her against him. She was a tough girl with an inner strength and fire, but she'd never been through something like this before. Christ, he'd been edgy as hell after his first firefight. He had to admit; she was handling it like a champ. As soon as he was able, he pulled her behind a table that Miles and Nora had propped on its side. "You guys alright?"

"We're all accounted for, Bass." Miles glanced over his shoulder towards the rest of the group. "Maggie and Aaron are too. Charlie, you okay?"

She nodded. "Fine."

"You're doing good, kid." Miles snagged the rifle, passing it to Nora. "Who's your best shot?"

"I'll go," Bass offered.

"No!" Charlie's grip on him tightened to a death hold.

"Bass, I need you down here. Nora?"

"Trevor," she said, handing the rifle off to a dark-skinned man.

"Get up to the roof. Anybody comes within 10 yards...fire." The man nodded at Miles and hurried towards the stairs. "Hurry, before they ram the doors in."

"Just buy us some time," Bass added.

The loud bangs coming from the roof gave them a bit of breathing room, and Bass led Charlie down to the basement behind Miles. As soon as his best friend picked up a spoon and used the end on the mortar between the bricks, Bass realized what he had in mind; sometimes it was nice to have had someone in your life for so long that you knew their very thoughts. "Miles, you son of a bitch. We're going to Shawshank our asses out of here."

"What the hell are you doing?" Nicholas asked, his voice raised. "You don't have the proper equipment. Shovels...tools...or anything."

Baker was already ripping open cupboards to find items that could help. Bass told Charlie to try the drawers right beside them, to find anything sharp.

"So we'll break the legs off chairs, use kitchen tools. Whatever we got," Miles pulled at the concrete block as it loosened, yanking it from the wall with a hard tug.

"Chair legs? To dig a tunnel?" Nicholas shook his head in amazement.

"There's a lot of men out there. Sooner or later, they're coming in. So let's get started," Miles said, working on another block.

 

 

As the guys dug the tunnel, Nora pulled Charlie upstairs to have her help build a few pipe bombs. The guns firing at their building had stopped a few hours ago and they were able to move around freely, setting a few traps by the windows and doors. Maggie and Aaron continued to tend to the injured, trying to get the wounded settled enough to eventually move them out.

Nora tightened the end of a bomb as Charlie strung a tripwire on the ground by the front entrance. "Anyone trips that the bleach hits the potassium chloride and they'll end up with their junk in their hands. Literally."

Finishing, Charlie scooted back across the floor, grabbing one of the pipes to assemble it the way Nora had taught her. "Do you really think we'll be able to beat Neville?"

"I don't think we're getting out of here alive."

Charlie's eyes flew up to Nora's face. "Yeah, but if we do..."

"Probably not. We're too outmanned."

Nora's tone was almost apologetic. No one wanted to upset her since she was the one whose brother was in danger. "Then why are you here?"

"You know I was with your uncle for a while. Then after that there was Frank. He was sweet. He didn't know about this side of my life." Nora chuckled, motioning to the explosive material all around them. "One night though we went for a walk. These drunk militia dicks stopped us. They were getting cute. Frank thought he had to be macho, defend my honor or whatever. They were beating him up pretty bad. So I knocked them out cold. Took a few hard shots, but..."

"What happened to Frank?" Charlie asked.

Both of their eyes shot to the roof as another bullet tore into the night. "He dumped me. I think he was a little bit scared of me."

"I don't understand. You told Miles that you joined the rebels over a guy."

Nora glanced up at her. "Yeah, but it wasn't Frank. It wasn't even a guy so much as a little boy. I was five months pregnant that night. But the next morning...I wasn't."

Charlie could feel tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. She'd never even thought about having children. But she couldn't imagine how much it would hurt to be pregnant with a child, with Bass's child, and lose it. "God, Nora, I'm so sorry."

"That's why I'm here, Charlie. Win or lose. Cause I had to make it mean something. And if I have another baby, he'll be born in the United States."

Charlie just nodded, understanding a bit more of her newfound friend. Her eyes flitted over to Maggie; her stepmother had lost her own children when the Blackout happened, stranding her in this country while her children were left in England. Family made people do a lot of crazy things. Like walk to Philadelphia to take on the leader of the country she lived in. God, she hoped Danny was alright.

 

 

Bass and Miles hauled a bucket of dirt out of the tunnel, Jeremy and Nicholas grabbing the next one. Another shot echoed from the roof. Eyes skyward, Bass shook his head. "How many rounds do you think he has left?"

"We'll get out of here," Nicholas said.

Miles sighed. "It must be nice to have faith."

"All wired up," Nora said as she and Charlie hurried down the steps.

"How's Maggie doing with the injured, kid?"

"She's trying to get them all ready, Miles. Aaron's helping."

"Good-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by a cry and a plume of dust shooting out of the hole in the wall. Bass and Jeremy yanked at the feet of the man in the tunnel, pulling him out of the loose debris. "Damn it!"

"So what now?" Nora asked.

"Dig it out again, maybe," Jeremy said, tossing his hands up in a shrug.

The sound of guns firing into the building again grabbed everyone's attention. That and Aaron rushing down the stairs. "We're out of ammo."

"Yeah, thanks for the obvious info, Stay-Puft," Bass said.

"Guys, we don't have time to dig another tunnel," Charlie said.

"What's your idea, Charlie? I'm all ears, kid."

"We fight them off!" she shouted.

"There's fifty men up there. You cannot stop them."

"Jesus, you sound just like dad. Remember all the times he said we couldn't leave Sylvania Estates because of the men we'd have to face. I thought you were tougher than him, Mr. Marine."

Bass stepped in between the two of them. "Alright, enough. Emotions are high...we're all tense. But the two of you are not going to get into a shouting match."

Years ago, Bass had told her that she and Miles were ridiculously alike. That was why, he said, they sometimes fought like cats and dogs; their personalities and their stubborn streaks were just far too similar. "We have to do something."

Maggie barreled down the stairs. "They're approaching the building. We have to get the wounded downstairs."

A loud boom echoed from above, shaking the foundation. Miles grabbed his gun. "The tripwire. They're coming in. Jeremy, you're on backup."

Bass grabbed both swords, yanked her into a brief, but intense kiss, and took off after Miles. "Charlie, stay here. I mean it."

He was up the stairs before she could speak. Picking up a lead pipe, she nodded at Jeremy when she caught the smirk on his face, then hurtled up the steps after her family. She got there in enough time to see Bass and Miles both facing off against members of the militia. As she was attacked, she lifted the pipe in a defensive motion, blocking the strike of a soldier. Shoving backwards with all her strength, she managed to knock him off balance and smash the pipe into the middle of his body, taking him out as the wind gushed out of him.

What stopped her in her tracks though was one of the militia men lowering his sword and gaping at her uncle. "Miles?"

As Bass stepped up behind Miles, the soldier shook his head, a laugh escaping him. "And Bass. What are the odds?"

"Strausser."

Both of her men lunged at the soldier, disarming him easily, her uncle pressing his sword against the man's throat. He dragged him backwards, Bass at the ready for any other militia that might try to attack. "Stay back or he's dead."

Charlie and Nora helped the rest of the surviving rebels to their feet, hurrying them down the stairs. Miles dragged Strausser down the steps, Bass bringing up the rear.

"Lock the door! Baker, rope!" Bass shouted.

"What's this about?" Nicholas asked, his brow creasing in anger.

"He's their CO," Miles said, sword still against the man's neck. "We can trade him. His life for ours."

"Miles...damn. And Bass...Baker, is that you?" Strausser craned his neck to try to see the man tying him to the chair.

Three sets of eyes made contact as Charlie watched. What the hell was going on?

"Well, till now, we've had Jeremy's identity as a secret at least. Now that's gone," Miles said.

Charlie was at her wit's end. "How the hell does he know your names? How do you know his?"

Strausser chuckled. "Do they really not know?"

"Not know what." She was trembling, tears threatening again. "What don't we know, guys?"

"Charlie..." Bass took a step towards her, and she moved back an inch. Her obvious rebuke stopped him in his place, a sad look on his face.

"How do you know them, Miles? Bass?" She barely recognized her own voice; it was so timid and weak.

Miles scoffed. "Well, we have to tell them. They're going to find out now."

Bass sighed, his voice shaky as he spoke. "Charlie, please. We never wanted to lie to you. We just...didn't know how to tell you."

"Someone better start telling me the truth."

"We know him, kiddo, because for a while we..." Miles swallowed, glancing away from his niece. "We were part of Neville's militia."

"No..." There was no way she could have stopped the tears now. Bass stepped towards her again, and she held up a hand. Aaron and Maggie gathered behind her, their faces full of distrust.

"Charlie, we can explain."

She shot a look at her boyfriend, anger rising through the tears. "Then I guess you better start now."

 


	6. Hang 'Em High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, here's the next chapter. Thank you to all who commented, favorited, and followed.
> 
> Flashbacks are in italics.
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution.

* * *

We waited together for the cowards to come

Outgunned and outnumbered but we wouldn't run

No mercy, **no quarter**

They'll pay for their sins

Now lower the cannons the battle begins - _Hang 'Em High - Dropkick Murphys_

 

 

This is exactly what he didn't want to happen. He never wanted her to find out and if she had to, he certainly hadn't wanted it to be like this. If she never spoke to him again, he would understand. He glanced at Miles and Jeremy.

"You better tell it," Miles said, pointing between Jeremy and himself. "The two of us would just screw it up."

"This is like one of those soap operas," Strausser interjected. "You guys remember One Life to Live?"

"Shut up," Miles said. "Bass..."

"It was about nine months after the Blackout...and there was this girl..."

 

_"No, we're not doing it, Tom," Bass said as he walked next to Miles and Neville._

_"Come on, you two are the only ones trained to lead a mission like this." Neville pushed in between the two men. "And winter is coming. Are you really going to be okay with starving?"_

_"You're talking about stealing another camp's food." Bass shook his head in disgust._

_"We scouted ten head of cattle. Maybe a couple dozen guns," Neville said._

_"You scouted? What are we an army now?" Bass couldn't believe the nerve of Tom Neville. But the silence of his best friend was starting to concern him a little._

_"No, we're not an army, but we still could use two military men like you guys. No one else is equipped to handle this operation." Neville stood in front of Bass, stopping his forward progress. "And in order to survive, maybe we need to start thinking in terms of an army."_

_"You have to stop thinking so hard. You're going to stain your pants," Bass said, stepping around Neville and walking away._

_But Neville wouldn't be deterred. "Well, what about you, Miles? You've been awfully quiet about this. You know this might be the best move for us to make."_

_Bass turned to Miles. "You can't seriously be considering this?"_

_"We could use the food."_

_"I can't even talk to you," Bass said, turning away from his friend and back to Neville. "Just drop it, Tom."_

_Miles sighed. "He's right, Tom. We can't just attack another camp for no reason."_

_Neville must have realized he was outnumbered; he clapped his hands together and held them up in surrender. "So how's Shelly?"_

_"She's good," Bass said._

_"Tell her Julia and I will stop by later to see her."_

_"Yeah, we'll let her know," Miles said._

_Watching the dark-skinned man walk off, Bass and Miles both rolled their eyes. "That guy does not give up."_

_"Come on, Miles. She's waiting." He pulled back the flap on a tent and let Miles step in before him._

_"Hey, Miles...hey, Bass." Shelly stood, waddling over to the two men._

_"Wait, sit down, Shelly," Miles said, taking her hand and leading her over to her cot._

_"Miles, I'm pregnant, not dying," she said, allowing him to help her sit anyway. "You guys have that look."_

_"What look?" Bass asked, sitting in a folding chair._

_"That look that says you've been dealing with Tom Neville all morning." All three chuckled._

_"Can we talk about anything else..."_

_She patted Miles on the cheek. "Sure...so, first, I want you to know that Nora has really been asking about you."_

_"Nora Clayton." Miles cocked an eyebrow. "She's only 20."_

_"So what?" Shelly asked. "I'm not so sure age matters anymore. Not so sure it mattered before the Blackout really. I think you should ask her out."_

_"Yeah, out to the mess tent. One hell of a date here in the Blackout world." At her pointed looked, he chuckled. "I'll think about it, Shelly."_

_"Good. You do that." Bass laughed until she turned her sights on him. "And what about you, Sebastian? You find yourself a girl yet."_

_"Last thing on my mind right now, Shelly." She tilted her head as she stared at him. "Seriously, some day the right girl will just come along. I'll know when I've found her."_

_"You better not let her get away then, Bass."_

_"I won't," he promised._

_She nodded. "So, I've been thinking of baby names and I want some more opinions."_

_"Hasn't everyone in the camp already weighed in on that topic?" Bass asked._

_"Pretty much, but it's my kid, so I'll come up with the name. Doesn't mean I don't want help, guys." She glanced between the two men, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Although I'm not sure I trust Jeremy's opinion at all."_

 

"She was sort of the camp's mascot. The first pregnant woman anyone had seen since the Blackout, I think," Bass explained. "And she had a sweetness, a tender heart that made everyone happy to be around her. We all loved and fawned over her. Her husband died during the initial days of the Blackout. She found out she was pregnant a few weeks after it hit. So everyone in the camp just took care of her."

"We were all excited about the birth, so in a way, we were all surrogate daddies," Jeremy interjected.

"Your uncle and I were only supposed to stay at the camp for a week or two, and then leave to find you and your family. That was six months after the Blackout. Three months later, we found ourselves still there, waiting for Shelly to give birth," Bass said. "We figured we'd leave after we knew she and the baby were alright."

"What happened?" Maggie asked.

"Something went wrong," Miles said, his eyes distant.

"Horribly wrong," Bass added.

 

_They stood outside the tent, Bass, Miles, Neville, Will Strausser, and a dozen other men. The women were all taking turns in the midwife's tent, sitting with Shelly, holding her hand. The guys cringed every time they heard a scream; the women took it in stride._

_Julia Neville walked out of the tent and was accosted by the men, all shouting questions at her._

_Bass got to her first. "So what happened? Anything yet?"_

_"No, nothing yet."_

_"Well, come on. Let's get this show on the road," Miles said._

_"She's having a baby, guys. You can't put it on a schedule." Julia shook her head._

_Suddenly, the scream that emanated from the tent sounded far more painful and fearful. Julia turned in time to see the midwife poking her head out of the flap. With one look between the women, she spun back around to the men. "We need towels and water. Now! All of you…go!"_

_She was back in the tent before anyone could move, but then they all broke out in a mad dash, gathering the items Julia had asked for. As they raced back to the tent, Julia stepped outside, the front of her clothes covered in blood._

_Sixteen grown men stood there in a daze as the realization that Shelly was gone sunk in._

 

"We were all...shell-shocked, I guess you could say," Bass said, his blue eyes filling with tears even now. Jeremy and Miles both carried the same pained look they'd worn 15 years before. "And...I don't think we handled losing her all that well."

"What did you do?" Charlie asked, and he could see the tears welling in her eyes.

"First, we got drunk. And then...we did what Neville asked us to do." Bass's eyes stayed trained on hers. "We attacked the other camp. And we took out all of our grief and anguish on them."

 

_"To a job well done," Bass said, still hammered out of his mind, as he slurped down another shot of whiskey. A wasted Miles clinked glasses with him before swallowing the amber liquor._

_The group of men inside the tent lifted their glasses in a toast. They'd done what Neville wanted and raided the other camp, stealing the food, weapons, supplies, and livestock. And all they'd left behind was a bloody battlefield._

_They'd all been drunk for the last several days, as the entire camp dealt with the death of their beloved Shelly. Many of the men had to listen to their own wives crying as they fell asleep at night. The bachelors, like Bass, Miles, and Jeremy, didn't sleep much at all. And through it all, Neville was right there to guide them, with a positive word to whisper in their ears, and a new idea to help make the camp, and humanity in general, stronger and better._

_"We've done this, men. We did what was necessary," Neville said. "No one asks for bad things to happen. They just do. But we can rise up from this tragedy, gentlemen. We can move on and try to restore order to this fine country of ours. For Shelly."_

_"For Shelly" was the unanimous response._

 

"He preyed upon the sorrow we were all feeling. Not just over Shelly, but over the fact that the world had ended as well. In a way, her death was the loss of hope," Bass said. "We all got caught up in it. Men and women. That camp pretty much became the first regime of the Neville Militia."

"But Neville wasn't a trained military man. For that...he had us," Miles explained. "We trained his men, Charlie. We organized his battle plans. We ran that militia."

"Until one day we woke up and realized that a year had passed by. And we were following a mad man into war." Bass stepped closer to Charlie, and she allowed it. But he still didn't risk trying to touch her. "We all did horrible things. In the name of grief and in the name of a woman we all cared for. For a country we thought we wanted back. But little by little, a few of us shook off the haze we were living in. And we soon realized Neville wasn't the great savior we thought he was."

"So you left?" Charlie scanned over the four people she knew had been in that camp.

"Some of us did," Jeremy said, eyeing Strausser. "A group of us decided we needed to get away, but we also understood that Neville really didn't want to give up his two generals."

Maggie looked at Miles. "You and Bass."

Miles nodded. "Yeah, so we plotted out the best way to escape. And one night in the late fall we snuck away and never looked back."

"But we also realized we had to put a lot of distance between us and Neville. Miles and I decided we would get back to our original mission. To find his family." Bass couldn't keep his eyes off Charlie; he couldn't decide if she was accepting his words or not. And even if she did, that still didn't mean he would be forgiven. "The camp and Neville's operation was in Savannah. We left Nora in Indiana and Jeremy in Chicago. The others who left with us took off for other random places. And we wandered...until the day we found Sylvania Estates."

"Wait, did you seriously come to our village knowing the Neville Militia was after you?" Aaron asked, disbelief evident on his face.

"We had no idea it was ever going to get that big," Miles said. "We figured with the two of us gone, Neville's little army would just fall apart. He had no one else qualified to run it."

"Well, that's not true..." Strausser interrupted.

"He gave it to you?" Miles asked. Strausser had been in the army but been dishonorably discharged for mental health reasons. Yet he'd been one of the few who'd needed almost no training. Guy was still an idiot though. "No wonder it took you 14 years to find us."

"We had heard things about a militia rising in Philadelphia just as we found you guys." Bass's eyes passed over Aaron, Maggie, and Charlie. He loved Charlie with all of his heart, but the others were just as much a part of his family. "But I swear to you, we had no idea at all that it was Neville. And at that time, so many militias were rising and falling. We thought it was another one that would just disappear."

"We never would have put you in jeopardy if we had known," Miles added. "But Sylvania Estates seemed so secluded. So far away from everything. The nearest little town was half a day's walk away. We thought we were safe."

"And then after we were around all of you, we didn't want to leave," Bass said, his eyes back on Charlie.

"Ben knew, didn't he?" Maggie asked. Miles and Bass both nodded. "He specifically told those soldiers that he hadn't seen the two of you since the Blackout. He was protecting you."

"He'd done that his whole life. For both of us." Miles's voice broke on the last word. It was true though; Ben Matheson had always been just as much a big brother to Bass as he was to Miles.

"But why did they want my father if he had no idea where you were?"

"That's another sin I committed, Charlie. I shared a secret with Neville that I never should have." The shame on Miles's face ate at Bass. His best friend had a tough exterior, but there was a kind-hearted man buried deep inside.

She looked from her uncle to Bass, seeking a further explanation. "The night Shelly died, we drank ourselves silly. And then it somehow came up that your father called Miles the night of the Blackout and told him it was going to happen. We were in that old car..."

"Yeah...the point is, Charlie, Neville thinks that your father knew something about how to turn the power back on."

She gaped at them as if they'd grown three heads. "Because of a phone call?"

"Because he knew something was going to happen. It would stand to reason he would know something about it." Bass watched as Miles fidgeted with his sword belt.

She focused on Bass. "You mentioned something about the power before...when we saw that helicopter. Did my dad know anything?"

"If he did, Charlie, he didn't tell me," Bass said.

Miles shook his head as well. "Or me. I swear I would tell you if he had. Kiddo, I'm sorry. And you can hate me all you want. Be pissed at both of us. But right now, we've got bigger fish. We trade Strausser in, we get out of here."

"It won't matter," Strausser said. "You haven't been near this militia in about 14 years, so you have no idea how we do things. Neville does not negotiate with traitors. You let me go or you don't. I'm good either way. But when my men come in here and start cutting you all down-"

Miles socked him hard in the jaw, knocking him out. "Jesus, he never did know when to shut the hell up."

Bass looked over at Charlie. "Listen-"

She threw up her hands to keep him away. "So all this time...you guys were lying to me. You know General Neville. You followed him and...you killed people. Fathers and sons. All the time we spent together...the three of us. Of everyone in my life, you two are the ones I trusted the most. But Neville was after you...Danny is in trouble because of you two."

Something occurred to Maggie; Bass could tell by the tip of her head. "Wait...why would the militia want Danny?"

"What do you mean?" Aaron asked.

"They came after Ben because he might have had information on the power. Or he might have known where you two were." Maggie looked between Miles and Bass. "But once Ben was...gone, why take Danny?"

At a loss, Miles looked to Bass for an answer. He gave the only one he could. "I don't know, Maggie. Maybe they didn't believe Ben. If we had more time, we could wake this son of a bitch up and interrogate him."

A battering ram pounding on the door brought the conversation to an abrupt halt. Jeremy patted Bass on the back. "Out of time."

"So what the hell is the plan?" Nora asked.

Bass met Miles's eyes. There was only one solution, and they both knew it. "Well, we'll make a trade. Bass and I...for all of you."

"No!" Charlie shouted. She automatically stepped towards Bass, but he wasn't sure she even realized it.

"Charlie, it's the only way," Bass said, gripping her arms. "We have to."

"No..." Even through her anger, he saw love shining up through her eyes. Love for him, love for her uncle. "Bass...no..."

Miles slapped Strausser waking him up. "So...you let all these other people go. And Bass and I will turn ourselves over to you. That's a good deal, right? I bet you get a parade out of this."

"Hmmm." Strausser spit blood out of his mouth, his tongue favoring the cut on his lip. "I want that rifle too. The one you were taking potshots at us with."

"Done," Miles said, crouching down to untie Strausser.

"What makes you think he'll keep his end of the bargain?" Nora shouted.

"I have a feeling Neville wants us alive, considering all the trouble he's gone through to find us." Miles yanked Strausser out of the chair. "As for the rest of you, you'll be long gone before he has a chance to send troops back here. Understand?"

In spite of their argument, Charlie wrapped her arms around Bass, hugging him tightly. "Please...you can't go. We need you. I need you. I just got you, Bass."

He pulled back enough to rest a hand against her face. "I have to go. It's the only way to keep you safe, and believe me, Charlie, that's what I want more than anything. You'll get to Danny. Jeremy knows what he's doing. He'll look after you."

"Bass-" He kissed her softly, savoring the taste of her lips...just in case it was the last time he would ever be near her. "I didn't even get time to be pissed at you."

He chuckled. "I love you, Charlie. Always have."

"I love you too."

Then, leaving their family behind, he and Miles followed Strausser out the door.

 

 

Bass and Miles were tied up with rope and led away. As they walked amongst the militia, Bass's mind kept returning to Charlie. "Do you think she'll ever forgive us?"

"She already forgave you, douche," Miles said, rolling his eyes. "She kissed you. And the two of you can refrain from ever doing that in my presence again."

"She kissed me because I might **die** , Miles. Did you ever think of that?" Bass said. "So I may never get to kiss her in front of you again, you prick."

Before Miles could respond, Strausser weaved his way through the troop to Bass's side. "So, gentlemen, tell me the truth. Did Ben Matheson really know how to turn the power back on?"

"Seriously?" Bass asked. "What the hell do you think?"

"I think it's insane."

"Interesting coming from you, Strausser." Bass rolled his eyes.

"But the general will be happy to have you back, either way. He's still a little pissed that you ran off."

"That's because he's an asshole," Miles said. "Jesus, it's been over a decade. Shouldn't he be over this shit by now?"

"Yeah, seems he did just fine without us." Bass had never liked the son of a bitch anyway.

"On the contrary, the two of you set all the plans in motion. You trained all of his officers, including me. He used those men to conquer and defeat. The problem is...officers die in battle."

"And when they're gone, you need more." Suddenly, things were falling into place. Bass exchanged a look with Miles and knew his best friend had reached the same conclusion. "But Neville isn't really good at training, is he?"

Miles chuckled. "He struggled to learn himself. And he wasn't very good at teaching others. I remember that."

"Well, he needs more. And he's very anxious to have the two of you back."

"We're not going to help him train soldiers to kill more people," Bass said. He'd already hurt Charlie enough. He would die before turning back into that man he'd become in Savannah.

Miles nodded in agreement, and Strausser shrugged. "Eh, well, we'll see. We do have your nephew, Miles. But even if we can't get you to cooperate, I think General Neville will just be happy to have you boys home."

"Sure, to torture-"

Before Bass could finish his sentence, a huge explosion echoed from the front of the group. Soldiers fell, horses reared, and the remaining militia ducked for cover. Amid the residual smoke, Charlie and Nora ran out to cut both Bass and Miles free. Bass's heart stopped as someone aimed at Charlie from behind, but before he could even warn her, an arrow stopped the soldier in his tracks; he glanced over his shoulder and saw Maggie with a crossbow in her hands.

"Come on!" Nora shouted, herding them away from the militia. There wasn't time to fight back; there was only time to run. Charlie led them across a drawbridge, dropping a bag as she went. Bass knew immediately what it was; he just prayed the soldiers behind him wouldn't get wise.

They dropped down on the other side of the bridge, just outside an old control room, and found Aaron and Jeremy waiting for them. Jeremy already had a bow in his hand, a flaming arrow at the ready. He fired directly at the bag Charlie had released and the bridge went up in a cloud of dust and twisted metal.

Only a few of Strausser's men had started across when it blew. Bass caught sight of him before turning to follow the others. He just knew it wouldn't be the last time they saw that crazy bastard.

 

 

Charlie walked away from the pack a little; she could feel Bass's eyes on her back and knew he wouldn't be able to keep quiet for long. She knew Miles wanted to speak to her too, but he was offering Bass the first crack at her. She was still quite angry, but she couldn't allow things to remain the way they were. That didn't mean she had to make it super easy for him.

"What?" she asked, her voice level.

Bass jogged up to walk beside her. "So...I know you're pissed off at me. I know you think I'm a monster. All the things I did. You can say it."

"I'm not going to say it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think it."

He stopped and turned to her, a hand on her arm to stop her as well. "How can you not?"

"Because I understand. Because you lost someone and Neville preyed upon your grief and sense of honor," she explained.

"Sense of honor?" Bass scoffed. "Charlie, I went after a camp and killed people. I organized military takeovers."

She glanced away, gathering her words carefully. "You once told me that you and Miles saw horrible things on your way to find us. You said earlier that Neville promised to restore order to the country. Is that what you thought you were doing?"

"I don't know what I was doing, Charlie." His eyes took on a faraway look. "Everything changed. One day there was power and the next day there wasn't. And it all fell apart after that. No one even thought of the repercussions of the Blackout. Of all that we'd lost. And then one day, one woman...what happened with Shelly forced us to look it directly in the face. To admit that we'd never get it back again. That nothing in life would ever be the same."

"I imagine that was a pretty scary concept," she said. He nodded. "And I imagine you and Miles aren't the only ones who followed the wrong man after it all went down."

His eyes narrowed at her. "You've always been pretty damn smart, Charlie."

"How many times have you risked your neck for me, Bass? For Danny?" She stepped closer to him, winding a hand around his arm. "And...you did save all those people back there."

"You're forgiving me awfully easy."

"Yeah, well, you could have died." She shivered at the thought of losing Bass. "It sort of takes the edge off the anger, you know?"

"Charlie..." His mood turned serious again as he gazed at her, his eyes filled with love, but also trepidation. "I'm not this guy. The one you came to know in Sylvania Estates. I was a soldier, Charlie. I did things, even before the Blackout. I never wanted you to know that part of me. And this trip is showing you exactly who I am."

"I know who you are." She pressed a finger to his lips to stop his protests. "You are that man...from home. You are this man too. I love you, and I'm learning to balance both sides in my mind. But if you weren't a good man, you wouldn't have gone through all those things with me. Or Danny. Scraped knees and injuries and growing pains. You were always gentle with me, Bass, and always kind. I don't think you faked all of that. So don't pretend to be this hard killer to push me away. It won't work."

"I am a killer."

"And so am I." He turned away, eyes scanning the trees. She laid a hand on his cheek and turned his face to hers.

"I didn't want that for you."

"It's the world we live in. You and Miles prepared me for it." She pressed her lips to his. "We will get through all of this like we've gotten through everything else. Together."

"Charlie." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling into a hug. "I never meant to hurt you. I hated having to lie to you."

"Yeah, I know. That's actually what I'm most mad about." She leaned back and looked up at him. "You should have told me the truth."

"I'm sorry about Danny. It is our fault."

"I'm not so sure it is." He tilted his head, eyebrow raised. "I thought about it. They wanted my father alive. He died, so now Neville won't get any of the information he was looking for. What happened at home was an accident. A series of events that escalated. But even if my father knew about the power, knew where you were, the odds that he told my brother are slim to none. So why take Danny? There has to be something else going on here."

Bass frowned. "Damn, Charlie..."

"Jeremy thought Danny was bait...but why would he be if the two of you weren't even around?"

"Maybe this wasn't about me or Miles." She could see him thinking it through. Bass frequently told her she was as smart as a whip. But he wasn't that far behind her in the brains department; he was far more intelligent than he ever gave himself credit for. "Ben told them he didn't know where we were, then everything went wrong and they nabbed Danny. Those bounties on us might have been issued years ago. But we finally just came out of hiding."

"I thought of that too. You were safe in Sylvania Estates, so safe they didn't even know about you for sure. But they did know **we** would follow Danny, so they left Nate to trail after us. Imagine his good luck when Sebastian Monroe and Miles Matheson showed up on the little journey as well."

"So Danny wasn't bait to draw us out, he was..."

"Danny wasn't bait for you or Miles at all." She turned and stared over her shoulder at Aaron and Maggie. "He was bait for one of us."

 

 


	7. Dogs of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is relatively similar to what happened on the show because I needed a few of the big things in this episode to still happen. If that makes any sense. Some dialogue is taken directly from Plague Dogs.
> 
> The park I used here is actually called Jungle Jack's Landing and to the best of my knowledge still exists in the Columbus Zoo. But it was in the exact location I needed it to be. I'm sure it's a great little park, but 15 years after the Blackout, I'm sure it would look like the one on the show. :) Incidentally, I'm an animal lover, so no dogs were harmed in the making of this chapter. ;)
> 
> I own nothing of Revolution.

 

Well winners can lose and things can get strained

But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.

One world, it's a battleground

One world, and we will smash it down

One world ... One world - _Dogs Of War - Pink Floyd_

 

Nearly two weeks had passed since they'd encountered the militia at the rebel base. Charlie had made up with both Miles and Bass, accepting that both of them had a life before they'd come to Sylvania Estates. Punishing either of them because they'd made mistakes was childish and stupid. She was getting a firsthand glimpse of the way the world was now, so how could she ever blame either of them for what had happened in the early days of the Blackout?

Miles seemed particularly relieved she'd forgiven him, as if he believed her intimate relationship with Bass gave his best friend an automatic pass that he himself wouldn't receive. She'd insisted that she loved Miles as much as Bass, but in a completely different way. He'd become his old complaining, sarcastic self after that, really bitching the first night he watched Charlie climb into Bass's sleeping bag; that, she said, was something her intimate relationship with Bass did allow and a topic that was not open for discussion. He'd moaned a little more but eventually dropped the whole thing.

For the past two weeks, they'd been walking a little more than 8 hours a day. Everyone was dead tired, but they wanted to make good time and try to get to Danny as quickly as possible. They'd circumvented Fort Wayne, heading to the south as they made their way on to Columbus, Ohio. Miles wanted to pick up Interstate 70 there and take it out of Ohio, then pick up the turnpike and cross the lower half of Pennsylvania into Philadelphia.

As the sun was setting for the day, they were nearing the town of Powell, just north of Columbus. She was holding onto Bass's hand as they walked and chatted about everything and nothing, all at once. It had always been easy to talk to him; falling in love with him hadn't changed their ease with one another in the least.

Bass, Miles, and Jeremy lit their torches when the sun dipped below the horizon. Everyone was eager to find a good place to bunk down for the night and get some rest. Sticking close to Bass, Charlie heard something off to her left. "What is that?"

They all heard it, a loud chomping sound. The guys lifted their hands, casting light out around them as they turned, trying to identify the odd noise. Seeing movement near an old broken down car, Miles tossed his torch towards it, the flame illuminating a deer carcass...and a pack of wild dogs gnawing at the rotting flesh.

"Run!" Miles shouted and everyone took off.

Charlie and Bass were at the front of the pack, followed closely by Maggie. He led the team around a corner, only to find a chain link fence blocking the way. Diving at it, he yanked Charlie up, making certain she was climbing before reaching a hand down to give Maggie a boost. They made it over, the rest of their gang bringing up the rear. Miles, Nora, and Jeremy leapt up, grasping the fence and hauling themselves over.

Aaron had a bit more trouble. Slower than the rest of his friends, he was only halfway over when a dog jumped up and bit his leg. He let out a yelp as the other men tried pulling him to their side. Maggie grabbed Charlie's crossbow and fired a bolt, killing the dog and allowing the guys to get Aaron out of danger.

"My leg," Aaron groaned, as Miles and Jeremy supported him. They were able to get him to safety, taking shelter at an abandoned amusement park. Maggie wrapped his leg as the others looked for a decent place to set up camp.

"Do you think Aaron's going to be okay?" Charlie asked Bass as they checked a few of the abandoned buildings.

"I think so. Maggie's patching him up. Should be fine." He ducked into what looked like an old souvenir shop. "Hmmm...not big enough."

"What is this place, Bass? It looks like that park back home, but there are enclosures too."

"Well, it looks like a small amusement park that was attached to a zoo." He stepped into another building, a little larger than the last, pulling Charlie with him as he started to explore.

"A zoo?" She looked at him, a little shocked. "But what about all the animals?"

He glanced over at her. "I think they're long gone, Charlie."

"What do you think happened to them?"

"After the Blackout, who knows? Maybe their handlers set them free, maybe they died." She'd never even thought of that, and it made her so terribly sad. The Blackout had affected more than just humans. "But those dogs are more of a threat than any animal who lived in this zoo. We can stay here for the night."

She nodded, taking his hand again as they went to find the others.

 

 

Morning dawned, the day seeming considerably less threatening than the night. Gathering their things, they prepared to continue their trek.

A limping Aaron led the pack, his mood as grumpy as usual. "The funny thing is I used to be a dog person. I loved them. I had a King Charles Cavalier."

"A what?" Nora asked.

"They called them the lapdog of kings." Charlie caught Bass's eye and rolled hers at Aaron's fussiness. They were quite used to it, but Nora and Jeremy had yet to become accustomed to the big man's griping. "Its name was Zoe. Sometimes it wore a sweater."

"Bass..." Both he and Charlie turned towards Miles. Just a quick flick of his eyes indicated that her uncle had seen something and wanted Bass to check it out with him. He squeezed her hand, separating from her and following Miles, the two splitting into different directions.

She couldn't be sure what had exactly happened, but a commotion on a ride called the Safari Stampede got everyone's attention. Hurrying up the stairs, they saw Nate on top of Miles, punching him, until Bass grabbed the kid from behind and shoved him up against a post.

"Wait, Bass, stop!" She rushed towards her boyfriend, her hand on his arm loosening his grip a little.

"How long have you been following us?" Miles yelled as Nora and Jeremy held him back.

"Long enough. You just noticing. You must be getting old," Nate spat.

"Alright, that's it. We're killing him," Bass said, Charlie shoving him away from the younger man.

"Stop it all of you!" she shouted, stepping between her family and Nate.

"I thought you said you handled it, Charlie," Bass said.

"I did."

"Wait, you knew he was still around?" Miles looked at both Bass and Charlie as if they'd each grown a third head.

"No, don't blame Bass," Charlie said, turning towards Nate. "On my way to find him, I knew I was being followed. I chained Nate here to a pole. How long did it take you to get out?"

"A while."

She looked back at her uncle. "In the interest of not keeping anything else from you guys, I told Bass about it. But once we got back to you, I guess it just slipped our minds."

Miles's eyes widened as he gaped between his best friend and his niece. "It slipped your minds that the militia was following us."

"Look, Miles, there hasn't been hide nor hair of any militia troops on our trail." Bass shrugged. "She said she took care of it, and I believed her. Can't fault her if the kid got out."

Charlie's brow furrowed as she looked back at the young man. "You said someone else was following my uncle. You were following Bass and someone else was on Miles."

Nate glanced away from her. "I lied. I didn't know you were going to split up."

Bass stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Charlie. "You were following her. Is she your original target or is something else going on here?"

Nate's eyes refused to land on Bass. Charlie tilted her head. "Me. You were after me. Miles and Bass...they were just a bonus."

She and Bass had surmised as much, assuming that she, Aaron, or Maggie was the true reason for Danny's capture. Miles shook Jeremy off, pushing forward towards Nate. "What the hell do you want with my niece?"

Bass pushed him back before he could attack. "Miles, we all want answers here. Let's use the kid to find them."

They stared at each other for a few moments, until Miles finally nodded his approval. Nora cuffed Nate, and they dragged him along with the rest of their group. They hadn't gotten very far when they heard the snarling of dogs behind them. Eight heads all swiveled to the sound of growls.

Miles took quick stock of their surroundings, his eyes catching something over his shoulder. "There's a diner right behind us. On the count of three, we haul ass, okay...three!"

The entire gang barreled towards the bright white and blue building, Nora and Jeremy helping the injured Aaron on the way. Rushing through the doors, Miles yanked them firmly shut behind them. Before anyone could catch a breath, Jeremy cocked his shot gun and stomped towards the rear of the building.

"Hey, where the hell you going?" Bass asked.

Jeremy turned to the gang, anger in his blue eyes. "I'm going to take out those dogs."

"Jeremy-" Miles started.

The tall blond cut him off. "Miles, how the hell do you think we're going to get out of here if they're still milling around? You know I hate this, but these are the consequences of the Blackout. Sit tight and I'll be back."

"Watch your ass," Bass shouted as Jeremy snuck out the back entrance.

Charlie glanced around, mentally doing a head count of their group. Aside from Jeremy, she came up short. "Hey, where's Maggie?"

Nora glanced around. "She was right behind me."

It was then they heard Maggie's cries for help. Charlie ran towards the exit. "Oh my God."

Miles shoved her away. "Charlie, stay here. I'm going to get her. Bass, hold onto her."

He was out the door before she could blink as Bass held her tightly from behind, whispering words of comfort in her ear. In only a few moments, Miles was back with her stepmother in his arms, her face ashen.

"Maggie, what happened," Charlie cried as she pulled free from Bass and kneeled by the injured woman.

Miles crouched on her other side. "Maggie, what did he say?"

"He said...I killed his dog." She pulled her hand away from the deep gash on her upper thigh, her fingers red.

"Oh, this is great," Miles said, his tone sarcastic. "That's not just a pack of strays out there. They belong to that psycho. They're his attack dogs."

"Yeah, wish we could warn Baker of that," Bass said.

"Listen..." Maggie said, her voice thin. "He severed an artery. I'm bleeding out."

Bass's eyes connected with Miles, but Charlie refused to look at either of them. She knew the look, knew what it meant. It was the same one they'd shared when the three of them had surrounded her dying father on the ground in Sylvania Estates. But that wasn't going to happen here; Charlie was not going to lose another member of her family.

"Alright, get her comfortable," Miles said, standing and motioning towards Nora. While Miles secured Nate across the room, Bass and Aaron moved Maggie to a location out of the sun, resting her back against a counter. Charlie remained at her side the whole time. "Alright, Nora, come on."

"Where are you going?" Aaron asked.

"Up on the roof. I can guarantee that's the way Jeremy went," Miles explained. "Maybe we can hook up with him, find this wack job. Get him to call off his mutts."

Bass and Miles nodded at each other, before her uncle took off after Nora. Charlie was fairly certain Miles realized that if the worst came to pass with Maggie, she would want Bass at her side. She prayed she wouldn't need him for that. Pressing a hand to her stepmother's wound, her mind raced with ideas of what to do. "How can we help?"

"Leave. You know you have to leave," Maggie said. Charlie shook her head. "Danny is probably only 24 hours from here. You're wasting time."

"We'll get Danny back. All of us, together." Charlie refused to be swayed.

"If you lost him because of me, I'd never forgive myself. Bass, you know I'm right."

Bass's eyes met Charlie's, and she knew he saw the fight in hers. She loved him all the more when he gave a small nod, indicating that he was on her side. "Maggie, we're not going anywhere. I don't leave my family behind."

Maggie closed her eyes, her head tilting towards Charlie. "Please."

"Maggie, I know...that I've been difficult. My mom was gone and then you were there and I didn't...know how to..."

"It's alright. I understand."

"You were there. You were always there for me. Kind, protective...annoying." Both women smiled. "The least I can do is give you a taste of your own medicine. We're staying."

Maggie glanced at Bass. "Hey, who fights her when she gets this way?"

"Well, you should be a very happy man if you keep that in mind, Bass." All three of them chuckled, until Maggie gasped as a bolt of pain shot through her. "Listen, a tourniquet's not enough. I'm losing too much blood."

"What do we do?" Charlie asked.

"There's a sewing needle in my bag. Some clamps. They look like scissors." Aaron handed Charlie the bag, and she hopped up, dumping the contents on the counter top. "You need to stitch up the artery."

"Wait, you're talking about us doing surgery?" Aaron asked. "Bass, do you know how to do this?"

"I wasn't a medic of any kind, Aaron," Bass explained. "I can do a little bit of a makeshift field dressing, but what we need is-"

Before he could say another word, someone grabbed Charlie from behind pulling her through the kitchen window and out the back door. Bass moved like lightning, but his feet slipped in the blood seeping from Maggie's wound, holding him back. By the time he was up and running for her, she was gone.

"Charlie!" he shouted, grabbing his gun. "Stay with Maggie, Aaron. Do whatever she asks."

Bass was out the door before anyone could respond. A few minutes later, Miles and Nora slipped back into the diner. "We couldn't find him. Or Jeremy."

"Miles, he took Charlie," Aaron said.

"He what?"

"Bass went after her."

"Miles," Nate said, as all eyes turned to him. "Heavily armed, multiple knives, hauled her through the kitchen window. Last look she was still alive. Monroe's maybe 90 seconds behind them."

"Uh...I need to operate," Aaron said. "I need help."

Nora glanced at Miles. "Go help Bass get her. I'll stay."

Miles checked his ammo, sliding his gun along his back into the waistband of his jeans. "We'll get her back, Maggie. You just hold on."

 

 

Charlie wasn't sure she'd ever been so terrified in her life, not even when that man accosted her on the plane. She'd been free then and able to fight back. But now she was tied up, incapable of doing anything to protect herself. And the man tying her up didn't exactly seem like he had all his marbles in play.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "You're home. My home."

He was setting up a booby-trap that had a gun aimed at her head and he wanted her to not be afraid. "You live here?"

"What's wrong with here?"

Great, Charlie, piss the crazy man off, why don't you? "Nothing, it's-"

"Safe, practical. You can survive a long time down here." She glanced around. They were in a basement or underground building of some sort.

"Can you please just let me go?" Her voice was shaky, and she could feel tears threatening to flow. She wanted Bass so badly, and Miles; she wanted to know how Maggie was. She just wanted her family.

"Let you go?" He chuckled, unrolling a spool of wire to use in his trap. "You'd kill me if you had the chance."

"No...no, we don't want to hurt you. That's not why we're here."

"Yeah, no one wants to hurt anyone. You look hard enough you can find the good in everyone." Having Miles Matheson as an uncle, Charlie certainly recognized sarcasm when she heard it. "That's what Lilah used to say."

"Who's Lilah? Is that your wife?"

"My daughter."

"Is she here?" Maybe if she could talk to the girl, to someone sane.

"She's dead." Charlie sighed heavily, her hopes dying as well. "It was my job to protect her. How many jobs does a father have?"

"I'm sorry."

"We stored up food, meds, everything except a gun. That turned out to be a mistake." She could only imagine. She'd spent most of her post-Blackout life surrounded by men who could use even their hands as lethal weapons. "Looters came. I fought them off, but there were too many."

"Did they...kill her?"

"Not right away, but yes. A few weeks later, Lilah stepped on a nail, simple and stupid as that. She got tetanus. She couldn't even open her mouth." He paused, and Charlie could tell this was difficult for him. Despite the fact that he had her tied to a chair, with a gun on her no less, she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for the man. "She just sat there, dying of thirst right in front of me, nothing I could do. I could have saved her. Would have been easy if I had the meds. If the looters hadn't taken everything."

"I'm so sorry. I really am. People just aren't like that anymore." She had to believe that, for Danny's sake. That there were still good people out there.

"They've always been like that." He stared at her, a small smile forming. "You know, you remind me of Lilah. You could stay, if you want. We wouldn't have to be lonely."

She tried to keep a straight-face, she really did. But when his hand stroked down her hair, she couldn't help but cringe. And it pissed him right off all over again. He stood and backed away from her.

"You little bitch, acting all nice just 'cause you're scared." Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming shut echoed through the room. "Hmm...looks like someone's coming for you."

He ripped off a piece of duct tape and pressed it over her mouth, cutting off any chance of her crying out for help.

 

 

Miles crossed the roof, dropping down on the side away from the dogs. He knew he could follow Bass's trail and hoped to hook up with him before he got too far ahead. A large concrete building sat at the far end of the pathway he was on, one that seemed the perfect place to hold a prisoner.

The thick steel door was unlocked, and he headed down the entrance hall, certain the building had once housed equipment for the upkeep of the park. Turning a corner, he was yanked aside, his back pressed up against a wall and a machete at his neck.

"Jesus, Miles, I could have killed you." Bass released his best friend.

Miles wiped a hand down his face. "I was trying to catch up with you, dick."

"Well, you were making enough noise. That heavy ass door reverberates through this entire building and you just let it slam shut like a damn boot. Idiot."

"Alright, alright, let's go." Miles shoved Bass from behind as they started down the corridor.

"She's here, Miles. I can feel it."

"Oh, yeah, you're a psychic now."

"Remind me to beat the shit out of you after my girlfriend is safe." Bass reached the end of the hall, trying the last door there. "Locked."

"Maybe this way," Miles said, opening a side door and hurrying down the stairs. Just as they reached the bottom, a man came flying from a darkened recess, sucker punching Bass in the head. Miles turned in time to see his friend drop and the wacko pull out two knives. "Where is she?"

The man, dubbed Kooky McWingnut in Miles's mind, attacked him, slicing at him with a knife. Miles easily avoided the strike, throwing his arms up to knock one blade out of the guy's hand. But the guy wouldn't give up and shoved Miles backwards, angling the knife towards his throat. How many times was he going to wind up with his back against the wall today, for God's sake? Before Miles could even push him away, the sharp end of a sword poked through the middle of the guy's chest. Kooky fell to his knees, revealing Bass right behind him.

With their crazy assailant dead, they felt better shouting out for Charlie. A muffled scream from behind another door sent them in her direction. Just as they busted into the room, a bolt from a crossbow slammed into the wall right beside her head. Miles and Bass stood there aghast, both noticing the way she tipped her chair a bit to the left. If she hadn't, the arrow would have caught her directly in the eye.

Bass was across the room in a second, cutting her restraints with his machete as Miles ripped down all the wiring. "Baby, you okay? Look at me, Charlie."

Her wild eyes finally focused on him and a sense of calm filled her baby blues. She nodded as he gently removed the tape from her mouth. Free of her binds, she threw herself into his arms, her body trembling against his. His eyes locked on Miles's; how close they had come to losing another member of their family.

 

 

They got back to the diner just as Aaron finished stitching Maggie up. Charlie was at her stepmother's side in an instant. "How is she?"

"I'm, uh, I'm almost done." Aaron clipped off the last bit of thread with a small pair of scissors, then stood up to clean his hands.

Maggie simply smiled at her. "You saved me, Charlie."

"That's right. We're going to save you."

"No, you saved me...thank you."

"Don't talk like that. You're going to be okay." She rubbed Maggie's shoulder.

"I've lost too much blood."

"No," Aaron cried. "I did just what you said."

Suddenly, the door opened and Baker strolled in. "Dogs are done."

"Nice job, but we've got bigger things to worry about." Miles motioned to Maggie lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Jeremy stepped forward, his expression intense. "What the hell happened?"

"Long story short, she was stabbed. Guy's dead. We took care of it," Bass said, his eyes on Charlie the entire time.

Jeremy Baker stood still for a second before his gear hit the floor. "Bullshit. This isn't happening again. Not on my watch."

"Baker-"

"Shut up, Miles. I need alcohol." He knelt beside Maggie, checking the gash on her leg. "Who stitched her up?"

"I did." Aaron's head swiveled from Jeremy to Miles and Bass, a 'what gives' look on his face.

"You did a pretty good job, Pittman." He touched Maggie's shoulder. "Hey, look at me. You lost a lot of blood, beautiful."

"I know."

"Well, let's fix it. You got anything to help with that?"

Maggie shook her head. "No, we can't risk it. Taking too much could kill someone else..."

"Yeah, you let me worry about that, okay? Come on, Maggie, you're a doctor. You would have been prepared for this." He rooted through her bag, finding what he was looking for. "Ah, here we are, a homemade transfusion kit. What's your blood type, honey?"

"Jeremy, we can't-"

He cut her off, his voice serious. "What is it, Maggie?"

"It's...A positive."

Jeremy turned to the group. "Alright, I need an A positive or negative, or an O positive or negative donor right now."

"I'm O negative," Charlie said, looking up from her spot beside Maggie. She had no clue what was happening, but if Jeremy thought he could help, she was willing to do anything to save her stepmom. "Dad had medical papers at home with mine and Danny's blood type listed. He showed me them when Aaron was teaching us about genetics in science class."

"So am I," Miles said, stepping forward, placing his arm on his niece's shoulder. "I'll do it, Charlie. You should rest."

"No, I-"

"Charlie, I got this."

Jeremy poured alcohol over his hands and the medical equipment. "Okay, Miles, roll up your shirt sleeve. This is going to be a little messier and a little more painful than it was Pre-Blackout."

Charlie stood and backed away, giving Miles the space he needed to plop down next to Maggie. Bass wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to a table away from the group. "Can he-"

"Before the Blackout, Charlie, Jeremy was a doctor. He worked in the ER, the emergency room. He's sort of used to trauma like this."

"He was a doctor?" Bass nodded as Charlie let out a big sigh. "I can't lose her, Bass. I can't lose anyone else."

Her rubbed a hand down her hair and while she sort of expected it to cast her back to the creepy guy who'd just held her captive, it didn't. Bass's touch was so welcome and loving; all she felt was relief at his hands on her. "Baker's good, Charlie. Give him a chance."

She shook her head. "I've always been so hard on her, Bass."

"Charlie-"

"No, you know it's true." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Everything I did, everything I said...and she was still always there for me. Why would she put up with that?"

He reached out, pulling her tightly against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. "Because that's what moms do, Charlie."

Less than an hour later, Bass was gently shaking her awake. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep, but she shot straight up, terrified that he was going to tell her that Maggie had died.

"Jeremy wants to see you," he said.

"Is she..."

"Just go see him."

Her heartbeat increased; if the news was bad, Bass would have been right by her side. Instead, an enigmatic smile graced his face as he nodded towards the makeshift operating area. Slowly crossing the room, she caught her uncle's eyes as he rested against the counter, a white cloth held in the crook of his arm. He too shot her a tiny smile.

Jeremy crouched by Maggie, blocking Charlie's view, but as soon as she stepped closer, she could see her stepmother's face, considerably less pale than earlier. "Maggie?"

"Charlie."

Something between a laugh and a sob tore out of her throat as Charlie dropped beside Maggie and reached out for her hand. "You're okay..."

The blonde woman chuckled. "It seems we have another doctor in our midst."

"I don't like to advertise." Jeremy shrugged. "Her pulse is still a little reedy, but she should be alright. Turns out Nora is a blood match too, if we need anymore. And your buddy Aaron did a good job with the surgery."

Charlie glanced towards the big man as he stared out the window; Aaron already looked worn-out and they hadn't even made it to Pennsylvania yet. "Yeah, he's pretty handy."

"Jeremy," Maggie said. "Your skills are very important in the world we live in."

He cleared his throat. "Maggie, I haven't been a doctor in a very long time."

"But why?" she asked. "You could help so many people. You could have helped Shelly, back in that camp you were in."

"Who do you think was in the tent with her?" Jeremy said. Charlie glanced at Maggie, shock on both of their faces. "I was delivering that baby. The midwife was an assistant. The baby was in distress...and I couldn't save it. And Shelly...she...she bled out...I couldn't...if we'd been in a hospital, if I'd had access to..."

"That's not your fault," Maggie said; Charlie could hear the sympathy in her voice. Maybe only another doctor could truly understand what it felt like to lose a patient.

"Yeah, well, believing that is easier said than done."

"So that's why you stopped being a doctor?" Charlie asked. She hadn't really been too sure she liked Jeremy Baker at first, but he'd proven to actually be a good guy. And just like Bass and Miles, he'd gone through a lot of rough stuff after the Blackout.

"Yeah."

"Well, you saved my life. Please don't forget that," Maggie said. "I certainly won't."

Jeremy nodded, then stood. "I'll let you two talk for awhile."

 

 

Bass grabbed Jeremy's arm as he walked away. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Right now, Bass? I'm kind of tired."

"Yeah, I get that, but it's important." He nodded towards the empty kitchen.

Jeremy sighed and followed him. "What?"

"So you know Miles sucks at math and science." Jeremy nodded. "Well, in high school, he used to copy off of me. Let's just say I was a pretty decent student."

"Congratulations. Now what's important here?"

Bass ignored the sarcasm; he was on the verge of uncovering a really big secret and he needed confirmation. "In our 8th grade biology class, we studied genetics and blood types. It was one of the few things Miles enjoyed, and we took little blood samples from everyone in our families. We both thought it was really cool. You know, boys and blood."

"Bass, is this going somewhere? It's been a hell of a day."

"The thing is since that class, I remember the blood types of everyone we took samples from. And I remember certain blood types don't mix." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Wait, there's a point. Miles's mom was A positive, his dad B negative. They had Ben, who was AB positive, and Miles. Which O negative is rare, but it can happen."

"Yes, that is rare, but as you said, very possible. Ben's blood type was the most likely outcome of their parents. Bass...come on."

"I never knew until today that Charlie was O negative."

Jeremy looked at him. "Well, Rachel-"

"Before the Blackout, we were all friends. There was a bit of an accident. Rachel needed blood and Miles donated it. Because Ben couldn't. Because Rachel was A negative." Jeremy glanced out the little round window on the kitchen door at Charlie and Miles. "So my question, doctor, is could an A negative mother and an AB positive father ever have an O negative child?"

Jeremy was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No."

Bass sighed, leaning back against the kitchen counter top. "That's what I thought."

"Bass, that means..."

"It means that I'm in love with my best friend's daughter."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rarely do this in my fics, make Miles her father because I really like them as uncle and niece and I feel they have a father and daughter relationship anyway. But for the course this fic is going to take, I decided to go with it.
> 
> The insult Bass uses on Miles, calling him a "boot' seems to be, for all the research I could find online, an insult a Marine would use. If I'm wrong, I apologize to anyone who is, or who has family who is/was a Marine. As I said, I researched on the internet and my dad was in the army, so his insults probably wouldn't carry over.
> 
> And lastly, yeah, I know nothing about blood types and have no medical training whatsoever, so again, had to use the internet. If any of the science here is wrong, it is completely my fault. But just go with it anyway.


	8. Blue Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few years after the Blackout, Bass and Miles DID find Ben and his family. Charlie has grown up with both Bass and Miles in her life. As she grows older, she and Bass start to fall for one another. One day, Charlie, Bass, and Miles are on a hunting trip when Danny is kidnapped by the Neville Militia. A basic reworking of the series from a prompt on the Good Ship Charloe website.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is dedicated to wildirish, for her birthday, which I realize was two days ago. I apologize for the delay, my friend. I always think it will take me less time than it does to complete a chapter, but then I forget there's always some research that has to go into it as well. So Happy Birthday anyway and I hope you enjoy it! :)
> 
> I have to explain how I do the estimated time for walking. From everything I Googled, the average human can walk between 2 and 4 mph, depending on things like age, fitness level, terrain. And I realize that most of our people here are in relatively good shape. But I keep them on the lower end of the spectrum, at about 2 miles per hour, because I figure they are carrying packs and they aren't walking level ground over easy terrain. I imagine there's more than once or twice they have to cut through a field or stream or possibly even have to deal with roads or bridges that have completely washed away or are too broken to travel over. No one may even notice this, but I felt I just wanted to explain in case someone thought that taking four and a half hours to go 12 miles was ridiculous.
> 
> I've never been to Newark, Ohio, so I apologize to anyone who might live there if I messed up the layout or insulted it in any way. :)

 

Another day is ended

I remember when

My world came falling down

Out there the stars stopped dancing

Lost in my darkness now

The rain keeps falling down - _Blue Train - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant_

 

It was decided that they would stay in the amusement park to give Maggie an extra day of rest. She tried to argue against it, insisting that finding Danny was far more important than her well-being. But no one would hear it, not even Charlie. Miles decided they could use the time to finally question their unexpected prisoner.

Hauling Nate up by the collar, Miles shoved him against the wall in the admin building they were calling home for another night. "So, kid, it's time for you to finally tell us what you know."

"I don't know anything." Nate stared at Miles, turning the glare on Bass as he approached. Jeremy cocked his shotgun as he stood in the far corner of the room, an arrogant smirk aimed right at the kid. Nora's eyes were also on him, tapping a knife against her shoe as she sat nearby.

"You gotta know something," Bass said, stepping close to the young man. "Even the lowest man on the totem pole has some secrets to reveal. But you know what I know? A man put in charge of trailing after important people is never the lowest man on the totem pole."

Nate remained silent, his eyes focused on a spot in the far corner of the room. Bass and Miles exchanged a look; they knew when a prisoner wasn't going to talk.

"Okay, kid." Miles pulled out his knife. "I guess we have to do this the hard way."

"No, wait!" Charlie shouted, popping up from beside Maggie and rushing to her uncle. She grabbed his arm and pulled the knife away from Nate. "Don't."

"Charlie, why are you defending him?" Miles asked.

"I'm not," she insisted, her eyes moving from Miles to Bass. "I'm not worried about him. I don't want either one of you to do this. To torture someone. Please."

Rolling his eyes, Miles slid his knife back in its sheath. "Alright then, what do you suggest?"

Looking at Nate, she tried a new tactic completely. "If you know anything that can help us find my brother, you have to tell us."

"Oh, yeah, that's going to work," Miles said, turning away from Nate. Bass stepped in, arm pressed against the kid's chest to make sure he didn't escape.

But Charlie wasn't deterred. "Please. This is my family. I am begging you. Please help me."

Nate stared at her for a long time, long enough to make Bass want to let out a very possessive growl. But facing off with Charlie must have flipped a switch in the kid. "I'm sorry. But your brother will be gone. They're going to put him on a train in Newark, Ohio."

"Newark?" Bass asked.

"It's about 40 miles away," Nate said. "It leaves tomorrow afternoon, 2 PM sharp."

"No." Charlie backed away, her face a mask of sadness.

What happened next took only a matter of minutes. Bass took his eyes off of Nate for just a moment to check on his girlfriend, and the kid shoved him backwards, sending him right into Charlie. She and Bass both went down, toppling Miles as well as he rushed back towards them. Jeremy fired a shot, but the bullet missed the kid as he flew across the room. Nora flipped her knife, but it missed the kid's head by inches, embedding itself into a wooden beam instead. Bass and Miles leapt up and ran after Nate, who hopped up on top of an exposed support beam and right out a broken window. By the time they got outside, Nate was long gone.

As Bass, Miles, Charlie, and Jeremy re-entered the building, they found Nora standing helplessly over Aaron and Maggie, the big man's arms around the blonde as she softly cried. "This is all my fault."

Charlie crouched beside her stepmother, tears glistening in her eyes. "No, Maggie. We were too late even this morning."

Bass glanced at Miles, an entire conversation happening in a matter of seconds. "Charlie, what if the three of us left for Newark right now?"

Her head shot up. "I can't leave Maggie behind."

"I'm not talking about leaving anyone behind," Bass said, reaching a hand out for her. She grabbed it, and he pulled her up. "If the three of us go right away, we might have a shot at making it on time. We'd have to haul ass, walk into the night, but it's a possibility. Then the others can follow after. And if we stop that train, we can just wait there. With Danny."

Charlie glanced down at Maggie. Her stepmother smiled. "You should go, Charlie. We'll come later. Catch him, please."

Jeremy crossed his arms as he looked at Charlie. "She's right, kid. Actually, you guys should take Nora along. I'll keep an eye on these two."

"Keep an eye on us?" Aaron muttered. "That makes us sound like criminals."

"You need someone to look out for you," Miles said, his voice edgy. Danny's capture was weighing on all of them.

Ever the voice of reason, Maggie intervened. "And we'd be grateful for it. Thank you, Jeremy."

"Gotta keep an eye on my patient," he said as he winked at her. "Listen, I can look into getting a wagon. It might make it easier for Maggie to travel. It would also get us to Newark faster."

"Yeah, that's not a half bad idea," Bass said, turning to his girlfriend. "Charlie, we'd have to leave immediately."

She bit her lip; they were all leaving the decision in her hands. Forty miles pre-Blackout would have been a breeze, but in their world it could take days. Even if they walked all night, there was still a chance they would miss Danny. But they had to try. "Let's go get my brother back."

There were nods of agreement and quick hugs of goodbye as the groups prepared to separate once again. Charlie hated leaving Maggie and Aaron behind, but she understood realistically that they would slow the rest of them down. As it was, they were going to be pushing the limit and walking as fast as they could. She could understand a little how difficult making tough decisions must have been on the battlefield for two soldiers like Bass and Miles; sometimes, though, there was no choice. And she realized that she completely trusted Jeremy to keep her family safe.

They were out on the road within minutes. As the wooden carcass of the roller coaster faded from view, Charlie turned and walked backwards for a few seconds to keep an eye on the park. Bass slid up next to her. "You okay?"

She nodded, facing forward again. "Yeah."

Reaching for her hand, he pulled her closer. "You sure about that."

She sighed and looked up at him, leaning into his body as they walked. "We came so close to losing her. What if-"

"Charlie, we didn't. She's alright." He slung an arm over her shoulders as they continued to walk. "And I promise you, Jeremy will keep them safe. Did you notice Maggie's already got him wrapped around her little finger?"

Chuckling, she thought back to the way the tall blond man seemed to hover around her stepmother. "Any clue why that is?"

Bass smirked. "Well, it could be that Maggie's his patient. He takes that very seriously. Or...it could be that maybe Baker's a little smitten."

"Smitten?" she asked.

"Maybe," Bass said, winking at her. "But she did love your dad, Charlie. I think Jeremy might have to wait awhile if he actually is interested."

Her released her then, since their need to walk quickly didn't really allow for cuddling. Miles and Nora were up ahead of them just a little, lost in their own conversation. "Bass, do you think we'll make it there on time? If they put him on that train-"

"Charlie." Bass cut her off before her imagination could run too far. "We gotta try."

She nodded, granting him a small smile. It was going to be close, but she prayed that they would reach her brother before time ran out.

They traveled late into the night, their pace very quick; not breaking to eat, they snacked on nuts and dried fruits as they walked. When they did finally stop for the night, it was nearly 2:30 in the morning, and they were so exhausted they could barely speak. Bodies aching, muscles screaming for rest, they hunkered down in a small wooded area. Charlie curled up next to Bass, not even noticing that Nora had snuggled into Miles. They didn't start a fire, relying instead on the body heat of their respective partners to keep them warm.

Drifting to sleep, Charlie found a bit of peace in the knowledge that they were bedding down only 12 miles from Newark. If they rose early enough in the morning, they would reach town and the train about two hours before Danny was set to be on it.

 

 

Rising on only 3 hours of sleep, they continued on, more determined than ever to arrive before the train's departure. They were too tired to push themselves as much as they'd done the day before, but they walked on, silence settling over the group as they trudged on.

The trip took almost 5 hours, but they made it there in plenty of time, much to Charlie's relief, giving them a good chance to locate Danny. Entering the outskirts of Newark, Miles led them into an abandoned car garage. He and Bass did a quick sweep, checking for threats, and proclaimed the area a decent safe house.

"Alright, Danny's here somewhere. We've got maybe two hours to find him or he's gone," Miles explained. "We should check to see if they're keeping him on the train. Or outside that, they're probably keeping him in a cell somewhere."

"That's what I'd do," Bass added.

"We need to look everywhere, could be a walk-in freezer, a meat locker. I don't know." Miles stripped off his sword belt, stopping Charlie from picking up her crossbow. "No big weapons. Only the ones you can easily conceal. We have to keep a low profile."

"It's best if we split up," Bass said, dropping his machete and sword on the table, checking his knife before returning it to its sheath. "Canvas the town. Anyone catches a scent of Danny, walk away. Come find me or Miles. We only get one shot at this."

Nora and Miles nodded, turning to leave the garage. Bass turned to Charlie; he hated leaving her on her own, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself in this situation. "You gonna be alright?"

She shot him a little smile. "I'll be fine, Bass. I just want to find Danny. Get him back."

"I know." Pulling her towards him, he kissed the top of her head. "Just be careful."

"Always."

They left the garage, and headed towards the small downtown area, turning in opposite directions when they arrived. Charlie walked down the rather crowded sidewalk, trying to see inside the windows of various businesses. It wouldn't be a good idea to walk in and out of every store front she came to.

As she was attempting to peek into a building with paper covering the windows, a man approached her from the side, unexpectedly startling her. "Excuse me, Miss?"

She spun towards him and found herself staring straight at a member of the Neville militia. He wore the uniform and coat of all the other soldiers, except his was in a rich dark blue instead of the green most of the other men wore. Charlie wasn't sure, but it was possible he was an officer or some other high up in Neville's twisted little world.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?" He flipped an apple into the air. "Cause it looks like you're casing the joint."

Caught off guard, she faltered, her mouth dry. Shaking her head, she forced herself to calm down and answer the man. Come up with a plausible cover story, that was what Miles and Bass had always told her to do if she found herself in trouble. And sometimes, being innocent wasn't always the most plausible answer.

"I'm spying. Um, it's my boyfriend." The man's eyebrows shot up, and he removed his sunglasses, preparing to turn around to see the boy to whom she was referring.

"No! Don't look...in here." She motioned to the window of the abandoned store where they could both clearly see the reflection of a young man leaning towards a young woman. Charlie turned back to the dark-skinned man. "I think he might be cheating on me."

The smile he shot her was sympathetic. "What's your name?"

"Sarah Porter." The lie fell off her tongue with no effort. But she was not at all prepared for his introduction to her.

"General Tom Neville." He extended a hand.

"Neville?" It took every ounce of willpower she had not to attack him. It would be a losing battle, she knew. The man was bigger and stronger and he would have easily overcome her, but just the chance to scratch out the eyes of the son of a bitch who took her little brother would almost be worth it. Almost. She shakily placed her hand in his and shook it, praying that he would mistake the anger surging through her body for anxiety at meeting the president of the republic.

He leaned in close to her and whispered, "Yes, that Neville. But let's keep that between you and I, shall we? Don't need to stir up the masses."

Or have the masses attack you was more like it. She nodded. "Of course. Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. President. Are you here for the train?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "How'd you guess that?"

She chuckled. "Everyone's here for the train. No reason to be in Newark if you aren't."

"I suppose so. You have a nice afternoon." She nodded, and he stepped in close, looming over her. "And if I may, that boy's a fool if he's two-timing you."

She lowered her head, attempting to act shy. "Thank you."

"Take care now." Neville turned and crossed the street, ducking down an alleyway.

Charlie breathed out, not even realizing how tense she'd been. He was here; not just Danny, not just members of his militia, but Neville himself. Glancing down the street in the direction Bass had gone, she knew she should go get him, or find her uncle, but by the time she did that Neville might already be on the train and out of their reach. She had to follow him.

Staying back as far as she could, she did her best to follow him, the same way Bass and Miles had taught her to stalk prey when they were out hunting. Turning the corner, she found herself facing an empty back street. She should have been more careful; she knew that the second Neville grabbed her and slammed her up against a wall, a knife pressed to her throat.

"You think I can't spot a tail? Especially one as clumsy as yours?" he asked, voice raw. "Who are you?"

She would never tell him, never give up the rest of her family. If she died here, so be it; her thoughts were on Bass and her hope that he would recover from her loss.

"Okay, suit yourself," Neville said, pressing the knife in to cut her throat. But before he could slice her skin, someone flew in from the side, shoving him away from Charlie and pushing her aside.

She looked up and saw Bass facing off with Neville, who looked shocked as hell to see his former general standing in front of him. Glancing towards Charlie, Neville seemed to put the pieces together. "So...this is the sister. Quite the family resemblance. She looks like Danny."

"Charlie, get the hell out of here." She hesitated, not wanting to leave him. "I said go!"

Racing down the alley, she left the two men behind. Neville lunged at him with his knife, but Bass's dagger was already up and at the ready, stopping the blade from plunging into his eye. "Sebastian."

"Tom." They stood there at a standstill, each blocking the other man's assault. "How's the wife?"

"Julia's great. Thanks for asking."

"How's Danny?"

"Oh, he's a spirited young man." The cockiness in the general's voice gnawed at Bass, and he swept his knife up and around, making another attempt at stabbing Neville. Yet again, the other man intercepted the attack.

"I should have known you'd come all the way out here to make sure you nabbed, Danny. You found a hell of a lot of incompetent idiots after Miles and I left."

Neville's face contorted with rage. "And I should have known you would never be far away from the Mathesons. I saw the way you looked at the girl. Robbing the cradle just so you can be a part of Miles's family."

Bass tilted his head, a threat to not go any further in his eyes. "Where the hell is Danny?"

"Yeah, Bass, that's just what I'm going to do. Spread my legs and show you everything." They circled each other, two vicious animals sizing each other up.

"We do this...we fight, I'm better than you and you know it," Bass said, just as Miles barreled around the corner, stopping when he saw the men. Bass smirked. "And now you don't stand a chance."

"Miles."

"Tom. Where's my nephew?"

"We already had this conversation," Neville said, raising his knife. "It's getting boring."

Before either of them could launch an attack on Neville, an entire squadron entered the far end of the alleyway. Without real weapons, Bass and Miles knew they were outnumbered; retreat was the only option for the moment. Bass cold-cocked Tom and they took off running.

"Sorry, Tom, we gotta go," Miles shouted as they disappeared.

 

 

They caught up with Charlie on the road back to their hideout. Miles was fit to be tied. "Hey, what did we tell you? What did Bass say? Do not get close...come and find one of us."

"Miles," Bass said, trying to calm his friend down.

"He bumped into me," Charlie shouted.

"And you followed him?" Miles was rarely so angry, and he was almost never that angry with her. "You were in over your head. You have no idea how dangerous he is."

"Okay, I get it. I screwed up." She stopped and turned to her uncle. "But it's Neville. The general, the leader of it all. And he has Danny. I just-"

He cut her off. "You got emotional. And you panicked and you blew it. Surprise was the only thing we had going and you pissed it away. This was already hard. You just made it impossible."

"Alright, that's enough," Bass yelled, stepping in front of Charlie. "Just leave her the hell alone, Miles."

"Yeah, of course you're going to defend her now. Bass, she could have ruined everything."

"I think she's already aware of that fact. But drop it and leave her alone," Bass growled. He loved Miles like a brother, but he wasn't about to let him attack Charlie.

"He's right." They both turned to her. Tears were streaming down her face, and she couldn't meet their eyes. "I may have screwed it all up. If we don't get Danny back, I'll only have myself to blame."

Bass wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug; grabbing onto his jacket like it was a lifeline, she sobbed onto his shoulder.

Miles sighed and walked a few paces away, forcing himself to relax. He listened to Bass whispering to Charlie and knew his best friend was trying to comfort her. Furious at himself for screaming at her, he stomped back over to the couple. "Charlie...I'm sorry."

Keeping her face pressed against Bass, she shook her head. "No, you were right. I met him on the street. I didn't even know who he was. But when he said his name...I thought I could just follow him, see where they were keeping Danny. If I went to find one of you guys, we might have lost him."

"He could have really hurt you, Charlie," Bass said, rocking her slightly in his arms. "The guy's a psycho."

"Bass is right, Charlie. We lost Danny. We can't afford to lose you too." Miles scratched the back of his neck, struggling to put together the right words. "But I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm...worried for your brother."

Charlie glanced up from Bass's shoulder and saw the concern on her uncle's face. Pulling away from her boyfriend, she burrowed into her uncle's arms, then reached back and pulled Bass towards her, essentially forming a threeway hug.

"I'll try to be smarter," she whispered to her other two Musketeers. "I'm not cut out for this. All the training you guys gave me, and I'm failing at this."

"No, you're not," Bass insisted.

"Charlie, you're young. You're still learning. Nobody's that good out of the gate," Miles explained. "Hell, there were a few times I didn't think we were making it through boot camp."

Bass chuckled. "I literally got a boot stuck in the mud, fell over trying to get it out, had to pull my foot out of it to get free. And then my drill instructor send me back out in the pouring rain to dig it out. And clean it till it was shining."

Charlie giggled. "You never told me that story."

"That's cause he doesn't like being embarrassed in front of you," Miles said.

"That's bullshit," Bass said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it's not. You always liked being the hero. It only got worse in the last couple years," Miles said, leaning in close to his niece, "when he realized he had a thing for you."

Before Bass could protest, Charlie leaned over and kissed his cheek. Groaning, Miles pulled out of the hug. But Charlie yanked him back and kissed him on the cheek too. "I love you, guys."

"Yeah, yeah, enough," Miles said, although they all knew he secretly appreciated her affection. "We can sing Kumbaya later. Right now, we have to find Danny."

"We checked a lot of the streets in town and found nothing," Bass said.

"No," Charlie said and both men turned to her. "I didn't make it all the way down the street I was on. There was a bank. Didn't banks have vaults in them to hold money?"

Bass and Miles exchanged a look. "Jesus, Charlie, I can't believe we didn't think of this before. Let's go."

As they ran off, Bass glanced over at Miles. "Do you even know the lyrics to Kumbaya?"

 

 

They hurried into the Park National Bank, Miles and Bass leading the way, weapons drawn as they entered. The place was deserted, but they rushed towards the vault anyway. It was empty, but the half finished bottles of liquor littering the floor made it obvious that someone had recently been there. Checking inside the vault, Charlie saw a cup and a bloody handkerchief; she silently prayed the blood wasn't her brother's.

The whistle of a train split the air. "Damn it, they've already got him on the train. We gotta move."

"It can't even be two yet," Bass said as they ran outside.

"Yeah, well, looks like they're upping the timetable," Miles said. "Come on, the trainyard is only a few streets over."

Racing off, all three hoped they'd make it there in time.

Arriving just to see the train pull away, Charlie shook her head in disbelief. They'd come all that way, nearing killing themselves in the process, only to be a few minutes too late to get to Danny.

"I tried to stop it." All three turned to see Nora hunched on the ground, holding her stomach.

"Nora!" Charlie cried as she crouched beside her friend.

"Who did this to you?" Miles asked.

"Someone I thought I could trust." At Miles's glare, she continued. "A fellow Patriot. It doesn't matter. There's a bomb on the train...and so is your brother."

"No..." Charlie stood and backed right into Bass, who held her steady.

"The bomb's a hollowed out log. It's at the front of the tinder car, Miles." Nora looked at Charlie. "I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing."

Bass turned to look at the train over his shoulder and saw something that caught his eye. Hands on her arms, he spun Charlie in the direction he was looking. "Bass?"

"I see something interesting," he whispered in her ear. That was when she saw it too.

Horses.

Shouting at Miles to tend to Nora, Bass and Charlie rushed off. Within minutes they were speeding after the train, chasing it down as fast as the animals would go. Bass got close enough to grab onto the back railing of the caboose. Stretching out, he hauled Charlie off her horse and into his arms.

They climbed up to the roof, holding hands as they carefully made their way towards the front of the train. Bass jumped to a lower car, then lifted his arms for her to jump into. Holding her close on top of the train as the world sped by, it felt like they were in a movie. He kissed her gently. "I'll get the bomb. Go and find Danny."

As he turned to go, she held onto his hand. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, kissing her palm before rushing off.

Climbing down the ladder between the cars, Charlie glanced into the window of a passenger car...and saw her brother sitting at a table; Neville stood nearby, facing away from him. She caught Danny's eye and smiled at him. The look on his face was one of total shock; it was quickly followed by one of relief. Gesturing with her head, she nodded towards Neville. Danny understood, standing and leaping up onto the president's back, knocking him to the floor.

Bass, meanwhile, jumped over a few more gaps to get to the tinder car. Keeping low, he stayed out of sight of the engineer. The piled up wood made it hard to walk, but Bass stuck to the middle of the car, running fast to keep his balance. Jumping down, he spun the startled engineer around and punched him, knocking the man out. Sighing, he dug through the logs, quickly finding the one with the bomb.

Charlie was having a bit more trouble. As the two men rolled around on the floor, she struggled to get the door open. As she watched helplessly, Neville punched her little brother, then yanked him up and slammed him against the wall. Using the hilt of her blade, she pounded on the door handle until it fell off, surprising the hell out of Neville as she bolted into the car, flying at him, knife in hand.

Neville grabbed her, shoving her into the wall, hands wrapped around her throat as he choked the life out of her. Danny grabbed a glass and smashed it over his head. Grasping her brother's arm, she pulled him towards the door, only to be stopped by Nate and two other militia officers. Neville hopped up and held a gun to Danny's head.

"Alright, boy. Bring her to me...I'm gonna shoot the bitch." But Nate hesitated, holding onto Charlie. Neville's eyes widened as the kid disobeyed him. "That's an order."

"Shield your head," Nate whispered before flinging the door open and throwing Charlie from the train.

Bass saw Charlie rolling down the hill and looked over the tinder car. Within seconds, Nate stood across the low car from him, a definite challenge in his eyes. Hearing Charlie's screams and knowing she was alive, he glanced around for another way to get to Danny. But there wasn't one. The young militia man was blocking his only way. Not having another choice, Bass leapt off the train and hurried over to his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her. She stood there crying, looking over his shoulder as she watched the train carrying her brother disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Miles is the one who rescues Charlie from Neville on the show, but my little Charloe heart really wanted it to be Bass.
> 
> I know Aaron, Maggie, and Jeremy got a little sidelined in this chapter, as did Nora, but the whole gang will be back together soon.
> 
> And if it seems Nate/Jason got there awfully fast, that'll be explained eventually too. ;)


End file.
